Mutants & Masterminds: Heroes United - [Heroes United] Issue 1: Some Assembly Required

[Slither]

Isabel smiled and shook her head. "Not 'weird', merely fortunate; not many Americans are exposed to so many cultures in their youth. International travel builds character like few other experiences."

Well-educated AND rich, the former spy thought to herself with some amusement; well, that certainly explains a lot. There was clearly a lot more to learn about Miss Joyner, so she was content to let Renata find her own path with the lawyer; if some sort of 'team' was in the offing, which seemed increasingly like at this point, she would no doubt have more than enough time to get to know everyone else.

When the young teleporter joined them, Izzy turned her body slightly to include him in the conversation, and gave him a friendly smile and a nod, and then shifted focus back to Rachael, fairly curious herself to hear the scientist's response.

[Doctor Northlight]

Dumisani's question was interesting, before she answered Isabel had moved on to someone else. She noted that for a moment before answering.

,,

"I was just a physics major with a minor in theoretical physics. Seems after my accident though, I had this idea pop in my head to find ways to use what I know to help others, outside of just becoming just another labcoat looking at numbers or going all the way to becoming a professor and teaching others, wearing tweed the rest of my life."

,,

She smirked. "I'd rather wear my suit honestly." She cleared her throat, moving back to her train of thought. "My mum and dad raised me pretty right I think. They were humanitarians and I feel putting all of my faculties to a noble endeavour would be the best way to honor them."

,,

"I've never had to ask for anything in my life. I was a fortunate girl, I think this is the way I show gratitude for everything I've been blessed with. Including my life. If it wasn't for some form of providence I might not be sitting here talking to you, I would just be another casualty in the unyielding march of science."

,,

"To be honest, I want to help everyone here as much as the world. Altruism is a advanced trait of any species, after all."

[Justin OOC]

It was at that moment that the door to the elevator opened again, admitting a man they all did not recognize. He was tall, and possessed a head of silver hair, though he didn't look very old. In truth, his face had a certain timelessness. "Welcome to Unity Tower, my friends. I hope I have not inconvenienced all of you overmuch, asking this indulgence of a face to face, group meeting. I realize you all have those you wish and need to protect, and now that you have gifts beyond what normal humanity will ever have, I fear you will have to."

,,

He gestured to the round table at the center of the room, and made his way to be seated. "Please sit with me, and I will explain my motives for asking you come here, and what I aspire to achieve with this gathering."

,,

We waited patiently, letting them come and sit how they would. He'd chosen a round table for the symbolisim, no leaders, no greater importance, all would be equal at this table.

[Doctor Northlight]

Rachael moved from the dining table to the central table in the room. She had ignored it, it's roundness wasn't conducive to casual eating in her opinion. But a round table for a conference was a clever choice. "Well..." Rachael said, taking her seat. "...at least with me you have me at a loss. You seem to know much about us, and how to slip a note undetected to us at the same time."

,,

She adjusted her prop glasses. "And to whom do we owe the honor, Mr....?"

,,

She straightened with her index finger, under her white blouse a black shirt, no one could even notice it, only seeing perhaps Rachael was only a little nervous. It is in fact a body covering suit that she can use to change if she can't get into somewhere to change. Like this room for instance if things go to heck outside... for now though she has no reason.

[SalmonMax]

Renata took the card and looked it over, a little taken aback by the clarity its owner had. What she did out there was pretty illegal, come to think of it. And she might not always be able to depend on anonymity to protect her from the consequences. And if her dad found out, she'd have no guarantee of access to his army of lawyers and lawyer buddies to fish her out. He would be so mad.

,,

Lacking pockets in her leotard, she simply unzipped it a bit and tucked it into her sports bra, then zipped up. With her cheeks reddened a bit, she shrugged at Danielle. "Costume mark two will have pouches or something..."

,,

And then the door opened, and their host arrived.

,,

With a glance around at the others to see what they were doing, Renata went to the table and took a seat, a little aways apart from the others.

[Javier Duncan]

The Paladin looked at John's flack jacket and shield. "Impressive. I'd like to get a better look at that shield and watch of yours some day. As for this..." He picked up the flack jacket and it got thinner, more textured, and colored to match his shield and gauntlet. "There, that should be less bulky but just as protective. The latest type of armor, Dragon Skin, with my own little twist, of course. It should just feel like thick fabric, but it's at least as good as what's in the field now. Plus, now it matches your outfit."

,,

With that he turned his attention to Dumisani. "Yeah, I could make something like that, shouldn't be a problem, but to do an entire outfit it'll take some time. Fitting issues, materials, capabilities of the outfit. More than we can do here. As for the material I create... unless I make it out of, you know, cotton candy or something and you get it wet, yeah, it'll be here forever. Why in the world would it disappear?" He looked around at the assembled gathering. "Provided the person who called this meeting doesn't show up for a few more minutes, I might be able to make the hood. Now I have some questions for you..." But it was at that moment that their host entered through the elevator door.

,,

The Paladin listened politely to their host and picked a spot about a quarter of the way around the circle from him. He didn't pay much attention to who he sat next to, but he did make his own chair. It's possible but unlikely that a regular office chair could support the weight of his suit. If it caused an issue he'd use one of the provided chairs, but hopefully their host would understand and not be offended.

[darksol-aeternium]

Nodding as Miss Joyner's response (now that he knew she wasn't a proffessor he could stop thinking of her as such)Dumisani turned back to paladin after he'd had a chance to look over the sketched example. It was then that the host appeared and indcated the round table he'd otherwise ignored.

,,

He sat down in the first seat allowing him to put his back to a wall and see all entrances/exit from the room. He also tucked his sketch pad back into the extradimensional space so he coudl give this his full attention.

[Slither]

Isabel took a seat immediately to Rachael's right, leaning forward with her chin in her hand. Though her posture was casual, her dark brown eyes tracked the newcomer like a jungle cat peering out of its cage.

,,

And now we have the pitch; let's see if it will be worth our while.

[Magnum Opus]

,,

Danielle was the model of composure, politely turning her head as Renata unzipped. As their host entered and Renata took a seat, Danielle exhaled slightly, loosening her scarf. Nice. I hope I didn't male-gaze it up.

,,

She took a seat. "I suppose my first question is, why us? Or rather: why'd you contact us the way you did, and what do you know about us that we don't? Everyone's telling me I got to have a superpower or something. I can type fast but that's not really a superpower if you can learn it from DeVry."

[Justin OOC]

He smiled. "I am your host, Andery Focht." he nodded to Paladin. "I'll have something made you can sit in next time, should you agree to my proposal." Dumasini and Isabel garnered nods from him, and a faint smile curled his lips at Renata. At least she'd come to the table.

,,

Danielle's question got an amused look not irritation. "What I know is that each of you has some manner of metahuman ability. Thus far you've chosen as everyone else with a gift has, to keep it secret. It's a good idea, as we already know not everyone has altruism in mind for the use of their powers. While I know what I know, I will not out any of your abilities, if that is to happen, it must be your decision."

,,

He looked at them all intently. "I wish to found the first public "Team" of Metahumans to combat the growing threats the world now faces. Surely you all have seen the coverage of Tarmac and Wendigo's fight out in Seattle." The fight in question was between two powerful metahumans, both major powerhouse characters. Their battle did half a billion dollars in damages to the city of Seattle and cost five hundred lives in its short two minute duration. It was brutal and saw both combatants hurled through buildings, and tore up a good amount of infrastructure.

,,

"Half a Billion in damages, and more disturbing, 500 lives in two minutes." He sighed. "Less than a minute away considering his flight times, Starcrash, a meta human who easily could have defeated, or at least neutralized Wendigo, was flying patrol over Aberdeen. By the time he found out about the rumble it was too late, the damage done. He was able to keep it from escalating further. I never want that to happen here, to New York City."

,,

He held up his hands to forestall comments. "We have more metahumans here than any other city, both good and bad. We have been lucky so far, in that the right hero was there to deal with the situation at hand, but it may not always be so. I wish to coordinate things better, have all of us working from the same playbook, helping and supporting each other. You can bet that there are metas out there who are on the other side, thinking along the same lines. I do not wish to be caught unawares, and above all, i don't want the people of New York to suffer due to the ego of those who would style themselves their defenders. My life, my fortune, I'm willing to invest all of it to keeping the people safe."

,,

"Is this something you'd like to be a part of?" There it was, a simple plea for help from a Man who likely owned enough land to make his own country, who's company was the bleeding edge of several types of research. Here was a man who could buy and sell Senators and Congressmen like racing horses, and he had pledged to turn his resources to the greater good, protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, and he wanted all of them to help him.

[SalmonMax]

Renata propped her chin on her hands and watched Andrew intently, though her attention was mostly on his words, and on the contents of her own brain.

,,

She knew of him, of course. He was the center of a dizzying array of conspiracy theories on the Right; the conservative version of the Koch Brothers. In some ways he was hated more than liberal politicians, because he represented a traitor to the cause...a billionaire who'd turned against his brethern's interests, and who used their weapons against them.

,,

Ren wasn't really a student of the politics...but the idea of signing on with one of her dad's archenemies was perversely appealing. It neatly counterbalanced her innate disdain for signing on with anyone at all. This was her thing, what she did, and she did it for her reasons. Taking down punks around campus was fun. Empowering. Fighting full on metas? Ennnh...she was less sure about that.

,,

...but there was a certain appeal in the sheer recklessness of it. She'd already started to feel a bit bored the last couple of times out. What would it be like to have that adrenal jolt, like back in the beginning? To really be able to go full throttle without worrying about if she'd accidentally tear someone in half? The reality was she had no idea how strong she really was. Once she'd gotten to the point she could toss old cars in the scrapyard around, she'd stopped testing. Finding heavier things in places no one was around was too hard.

,,

It'd be nice to know. It really would.

,,

"So how would it work?" Renata asked skeptically. "You give us a text when you need us and we drop everything and come running? Or is this an actual full time job you're offering?"

[Doctor Northlight]

Rachael adjusted her glasses. This was not a suprise. It was obvious that someone had to answer the threat the unethical and immoral types of metahumans that operated out there. This was just a sudden drop of information. That, and something didn't sit right...

,,

"If we are to trust each other, Mr. Focht, there needs to be one thing made clear. We should be transparent to each other. I only ask how you managed to invade our personal space and how you figured out everyone here were metahumans. It's only logical from my observation that every person in this room has been changed in one way or another either through genetics, a accident, or some sort of other transformative event. But I didn't know about these people, and I wager everyone outside of you didn't know of my enhanced mental faculties. So I just want to know how. The why has been answered."

,,

"To be honest, you are not an agent of the United States Government, and you didn't even have a warrant. I may not be our lawyer here, but I can see that this puts you on a poor ethical footing, at minimum. I can agree that this needs to happen..." She said gesturing to everyone. "...but the most important thing is if we are to operate with a public mandate we must serve the public trust and the way we do that first is honoring our own privacy and honoring what we choose to keep secret. If we can't do that with ourselves then how are we to claim some higher mandate to protect the citizenry of this city... or this country... or planet even? Who knows how far we would have to go to protect mankind."

,,

Her expression was calm, but focused.

[Justin OOC]

Andery looked to Renata. "Nothing quite so mundane. Advanced commlinks, ahead even of military offerings at the moment, use of a private satellite network, several reserved hidden channels on the airwaves. Of course codenames would be involved, as nobody wishes to be outed."

,,

He looked to Rachel and sighed. "Because I have a gift that can also be a curse."

,,

Andery sat back, looking at them all. "It's nothing so invasive as reading your thoughts, I have no talent for such things. What I can do, and what has also prompted this, I can see things before they happen. It's a mix of pretercognition, postcognition, ESP, and several other theoretical abilities we've no real way of quantifying. I saw your manifestations before they ever happened. The more important something is, the more vivid the vision. Yours are among the most vivid I've ever had. Once I had them, I turned my resources towards finding each of you. Once I had found most of you I began planning. I have had some of the future, and they're vivid, I can feel everything with all my senses, but it is as though I were looking through a keyhole down a long corridor I can't see the end, but everything leads me to believe it is a threat that calls for the unique blend of gifts, skills and morals that you possess."

,,

"As to how I was able to place the invitations, that was not me, but Lester, the gentleman you observed earlier. His abilities are his own to tell you, suffice it to say what he did individually was not hard, what he did in the lobby was much moreso."

[Doctor Northlight]

Rachael raised her hand as if to stop Mr. Focht. "This... this is definitely something I never considered. That ability violates causality in so many ways it scares the living daylights out of me. But then again, it provides so many opportunities to perhaps be a step ahead."

,,

She massaged her forehead. "Alright... I am sorry, Mr. Focht that I assumed some form of malfeasance in regards to how we were brought together. But... I think if we are going to operate as a team, some transparency might be a good idea."

,,

She smiled. "Besides, that might help us to become compatriots, right?"

,,

"Also if anyone needs someplace to crash... I do have some guest rooms at my penthouse. It's not a super headquarters, nor top-secret, so you should visit in your civilian identity, but it's a warm roof, and I'm a decent cook."

,,

She gulped. "I... also got a super lab." She said with a blush and a whisper...

[SalmonMax]

"That's...great," Fulcrum said to Rachael distractedly. She was still focused on Focht. "You didn't really get at what I was asking though. What I mean is...is this a part-time 'on call' arrangement you're talking about? Or something more involved? Exactly what kind of a commitment are you talking about here? And what are you offering in return?"

[Javier Duncan]

The Paladin listened closely to what was said. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement at the mention of getting a chair that would support him. He listened to the questions and the answers, and was shocked to hear about their host's abilities. The fact that the man in gray had abilities too was nice to know... what they were would be even better.

,,

Early on in the conversation Javier had decided that he was in. However, he knew that others had questions and that they needed answers before they would decide. So he decided to wait a bit to give his assent. There would come a time when all the questions had been asked and answered and people were thinking about their decision... Or, someone would flat out refuse, and that would put a damper on things. Either way, the most influential time for him to make is decision known was not yet at hand.

,,

And so he waited, looking stoic and unreadable in his armor, and listened, and looked for the best time to speak up.

[darksol-aeternium]

As soon as Rachael mentioned something about violations of causality Dumisani was already mumbling something under his breath like "Nah, he's probably just looking at the most probable scenario based on our..." and suddenly he was distracted out of his train of thought. "Wait...what? You actually have a super lab? People actually HAVE those?!" he blurted out in astonishment, turning to stare at Racheal in open-mouthed amazement.

,,

He didn't have too much time to be stunned before Fulcrum re-established his original train of thought by asking about compensation. Shaking off his astonishment, he continued with, "er..ahem. Yes that's a good question, altruism doesn't pay bills or put food on tables. If this is a job what kind of terms are we going to be under and what's the salary?"

[Magnum Opus]

,,

As the meeting got underway, Danielle took out a small notepad and started making notes, quietly listening to the discussion underway.

,,

Don't write too fast, Danielle. They'd have to suspect something's up with me. I'm not 100% sure I can trust all of them just yet.

,,

"I personally would like to know the legal ramifications of whatever you're proposing. New York's finest probably won't be too happy with a paramilitary strike force in New York City. There's precedent for the idea of privately owned police forces like the Patrol Specials in San Francisco, but that's a long ways from here."

[Slither]

Isabel was already onboard; even if she didn't one hundred percent believe in the sincerity of Focht's motives, she felt it was a good idea for someone with connections to the intelligence community to be monitoring his planned organization from the inside. And if his motives were sincere? Well then, she'd be able to do a great deal of good alongside the rest of her fellow 'oddballs'.

,,

She politely cleared her throat. "I think we can all agree that our most pressing concerns involve financial compensation and legal status, both of which are of course inextricably intertwined. If we are your employees, what protections can you offer us from the possible repercussions if say we were involved in a violent struggle like the one that took place in Seattle? If we are contractors, how is that different? How do we present ourselves to the US government, military and law enforcement? Who determines the limits of our operations?"

,,

Izzy paused to indicate the room they were in with a wave of her hand. "And will we operate out of building such as this, one of your properties, or will we find our own accommodation, such as the lovely penthouse Ms Joyner was kind enough to offer?" She gave Rachael a friendly smile, then looked back to Focht for his response.

[Justin OOC]

"The answer is somewhat Circuitous. We will not have the legal authority to do this. There is however some precedent, as NYCPD has cooperated with and turned a blind eye to metahuman intervention of the heroic nature. It is my intent to begin using my influence to have bills introduced to Congress that will allow Heroes to be heroes, with certain legal protections and responsibilities. Such a bill has been brought up before, but many senators are on the fence. They need to see that allowing heroes to "BE" heroes is a good idea. I plan for this team to show them just that. It is my hope that within six months time, There will be enough evidence to get the law passed without having to use the normal political channels."

,,

He looked at them. "To the issue of financial restitution, I'm prepared to offer some real compensation there, for exemplary performance. That said, you will NOT be working for me. I am not the leader of this team, merely the backer. I will fund the team's needs, your salaries, and so forth, but I cannot and will not force you to do anything."

,,

"For the first year, should you all agree, I will pay you each one million dollars, with a matching donation of equal amount to a charity of your choice." Money was something that meant little to him, but it had its uses. "As a further incentive, I have some resources that aren't on the books, a location few know of, That can be used to train and test yourselves, indeed, I've already begun establishing it as such." He looked to Rachel and Paladin. "I will also put my own R&D departments at your disposal. I have some ideas I want to run by you two already, something that may help us gain acceptance even faster."

,,

Looking back to Renata he nodded. "I do ask a hefty commitment. This will require a Team, not a collection of individuals. You're all unique in many aspects, and what I wish to see is you all working seamlessly together to protect the future."

[Doctor Northlight]

Rachael adjusted herself. "Sounds like a challenge up my alley. If I may ask, can you take my charity amount and make it a scholarship? I would like to back the gifted to get into college or a university."

,,

She turned to Dumisani. "Yes, I have a lab, it's how I built my suit in my case here." She said, patting the case. "If we need to test something away from the building here, my lab provides one option. Also as I have environmental support, I can simply fly into the Atlantic as far and deep as I can. I refuse to put people's lives at risk for the sake of science."

She cleared her throat. "As for a team effort, I am a fully trained paramedic. Well, fully trained with paramedic skill. Combined with my suit and the blaster, I can provide many different tactical and search and rescue options." She sighed. "Although I abhor violence, I doubt this endeavor can easily avoid such things, I would assume? At least I have a stun setting."

"But yes... I think I can work with everyone here. Everyone seems nice enough."

,,

To be honest this beats being in the lab all day. She swore she might have gained a couple pounds sitting around working on her suit. "I just hope we have a Gym, I need to work off some Lab fat." She said with a blush.

[SalmonMax]

A million dollars.

,,

Everything else was kind of a muted blah blah blah noise in Ren's ears. Sure, her family was quite well to do, but...a million dollars. In her pocket. Her own million dollars.

,,

"Jesus!" she blurted. "A million dollars for a year? Alright, a few things. First...I'm in. Second, what do you need from me, exactly? Third, how do we get paid if this isn't legal, and we're not officially working for you?"

,,

Renata paused thoughtfully. "Actually, make the third thing the first thing."

[Magnum Opus]

,,

Danielle only paused taking notes once she heard the phrase "million dollars a year." Then she resumed note-taking at an even faster clip.

,,

That kind of money changes people. I'd have to give it all away. I knew someone would have the bright idea of paying superpeople to do things - or not to do things. Hmmm. And they'll know my secret identity, so they'll have that over my head. Hmmm.

,,

I think I can trust him. The others? Hmmm.

,,

Danielle contented herself to listen for the moment. It cost her nothing to wait to make sure they were all trustworthy.

[darksol-aeternium]

A Million dollars?! FUCK!! Were the first thoughts Dumisani had. And while visions of all his family's problems being solved flashed by, he tried to keep his face set in the mask of open-mouthed shock it already defaultefd to. He heard Racheal's reply to his earlier question on the periphery of his consciousness, but could only manage to vaguely nod in her direction. Renata's mention of this idea's quasi-legality reined him in somewhat, and forced him to think about the ways this could rebound on them all. Bending his mind fully towards the subject he focused back on the situation.

,,

"Oh yeah, I'm in. This is too lucrative to pass up, and clears up most of my responsibilities in the first year." He paused for only a second before launching itno the next subject.

,,

"So we're a trial task force occupying a grey area in national law enforcement, that unofficially acts as a resource for the law enforcement in our region. That sounds pretty precarious, so I assume we're gonna be scrutinized in the extreme so this political undercurrent you mentioned can go through without some kind of hiccup? What happens when/if it does? Do we get folded into a larger organization funded by the government or somesuch? I assume our civvie identities will be taken care of? Celebrity sounds nice till you realize it's a ubiquitous hardship."

,,

He then turned to Racheal,"We're probably better of not letting the fact we use your resources go public, If this initiative fails you don't want this reflecting on you for the rest of your life."

,,

Switching back to their host, "Where exactly is this place you're setting up for us?"

[Justin OOC]

Andery smiled. "When we are "Legalized" This team will be officially funded by The Vision Foundation, a Shell corporation latgely established for that purpose. It will have no direct ties to anyone, Though I do imagine there will be some sort of Government Liason. I am NOT backing registration of any sort, your private lives will be private. As to the location of the facility, provided everyone agrees I can take you there after this."

,,

He looked over to Renata. "You get paid the same way anyone operating in a Grey area of the law gets paid, or rather prefers to be paid. In clean, cold, crisp, cash. As to what would be needed, At least for the initial start-up, about six to eight hours a day, mostly for training and team building. Some of you have commitments already that such time will cause issues. I am prepared to use my own resources to alleviate them as much as possible." He was speaking mostly to Danielle, knowing there were lawyers who would for what he'd pay cover for her and keep their mouths shut. Besides, he had more than enough of their dirty secrets, should such a banal tactic be required.

[Scout]

"Gee, Thanks!" John, accepted the new protective suit from Paladin and slipped it on, though he still wore the sweat pants over top of it. Something Dumisani had said about wondering how long the creations would last had gotten to him, he had to admit. He'd been stripped down in a group setting before, he'd been in the military, after all. But there were women in the room and he was sure that would make things uncomfortable for them, so he decided to just take the simple step to avoid it altogether. "And of course you can look at these things. I honestly have no idea how they work, so it might be nice to have some insight."

,,

All further comments were forestalled as their benefactor entered the room.

,,

Scout, as he was now dressed in a costume of sorts, sat when he was told and listened to what their host had to say. To him, he was a soldier, and this was just another briefing, and mission, should he choose to accept it.

,,

---

,,

When all of the speeches and most of the questions were asked, Scout finally spoke up for the first time in a long time. "Permission to speak freely, sir?" their host nodded at him.

,,

"Honestly, you had me at, 'keeping the people safe'." Scout stood from the table and folded his arms, "I don't need the fortune and frankly I don't really want it. Money tends to be a burden when you've got so much you can't stuff it under your mattress anymore, but I'm willing to accept whatever constitutes a living wage. Whatever I need to keep on living and keep on doing the job. I'll probably just send the rest to my family anyhow."

,,

Scout's vision never faltered, he'd been looking their host dead in the eyes the whole time he'd been speaking, "So far, I like you. I like your proposal. You want to help people, and you're doing it for the right reasons. That said, you can count on me for whatever is needed, no questions asked. However, if your reasons for doing this ever change, we'll need to have another conversation. But until such a time comes, I intend to look at this like it's just another chance to serve my country."

,,

"I've only got two conditions, and if you agree to them, I'm all yours." He began counting on his fingers, "One, don't ask me to misrepresent myself, my loved ones, or my team. To clarify, that's not the same as don't ask me to lie. I'm no George Washington, I just won't be badmouthing anyone I care about is all. And two, under no circumstances will you or anyone I work with kill. I may think of this as serving my country, but seeing as how we're not at war there's no reason or convention for lethal force. I'm no murderer, and I won't work with anyone that is."

,,

Scout finally broke his gaze and looked about at the rest of them, "It will be a pleasure to work with you all. This is a chance to do something good, and I can only hope that you see it that way. Of course, your lives are your own as well as your reasons, I've no place to blame you if you decline his offer."

,,

Scout made a quick aside to Rachel, "I'd be happy to help if you need any pointers on physical training. I'm no doctor, but that happens to be something I know a thing or two about."

,,

He set his jaw and looked back toward their host, "That's all. Thank you, sir." Scout sat back in his chair once more. He'd said his peace, now it was time to let the rest say theirs.

[Doctor Northlight]

Rachael smiled. "Excellent. And of course outside of these walls, and those present here... well I'm not part of this. In here though... I'm so in."

,,

"And yeah, any advice on the physical stuff I'll find quite helpful. I'm a crack shot but outside of making sure people don't punch me I'm not good at the fisticuffs."

,,

She sighed as she sat back. She was starting to get jumpy. Everyone else outside of Scout and Danielle had been showing off. It almost seemed to her like her suit was calling to her wanting to show off.

,,

"I would wager when we head to our collective home away from home we can be in our heroic guises?"

[Javier Duncan]

Paladin nodded at the offer of Mr. Focht's R&D facility and to look at some ideas for him. And if it hadn't been for his helmet, everyone would've been able to see even his eyebrows raise at the offer of one million for the first year. That was a big investment, even for someone as loaded as their host.

,,

He waited until after John speech and Rachael's comments. He looked straight at Mr. Focht and simply said, "I'm in."

,,

There was a slight pause and then he turned to John. "I understand your convictions, and I respect your right to have them. I am not a murderer either, but as a citizen of these United States, I do have a right to defend myself. The police have the ability and authority to use deadly force when deemed necessary, and while they don't, more often than not, there are times when it is necessary to protect oneself or the general public. I have never taken a life, and hope that I never have to; but I won't be saddled with the mandate that I cannot under any circumstances." He held John's gaze a moment after he finished and then turned back to Mr. Focht.

[Slither]

This is all truly fascinating, thought Izzy; the mixture of idealism and moral ambiguity in the plans of their sponsor, everyone's reaction to it and to each other, all of it. Perhaps she should have moved into the private sector a long time ago!

,,

It was Scout and Paladin's statements that intrigued her the most, that and Danielle's continuing inscrutability. The former intelligence agent chose her next words carefully. "I'm not sure if I agree with you, Scout; in this day and age, the front lines are more mutable than ever before." She indicated the Manhattan skyline outside the window with a nod of her head. "This great city was the focus of the deadliest terrorist attack in history, and the world has never been the same since."

,,

Izzy crossed her legs and leaned forward slightly as she continued. "As a military man, you've obviously been trained to kill, and as a veteran I think it's safe to assume you already have; killing is unfortunately very hard to avoid in combat. Now, does that mean we should pursue lethal force as our first course of action? Of course not; there are thousands of ways to avoid deadly force in a confrontation, especially with the abilities and training many of us here in this room no doubt possess. But can you guarantee that in the midst of a life or death situation, when the lives of innocents are on the line and milliseconds count, that you can always find a non-lethal solution while protecting those innocents? I can honestly say that I can't, as much as I'd like to; I'll take the shot to save an innocent life. Every time." She sighed as she smoothed the fabric of her black jeans. "And I'm sorry if that means we can't work together."

,,

She looked up at Focht and gave him a somewhat sad smile. "Otherwise, I'm in."

[SalmonMax]

Renata glanced at Scout, but shrugged it off. She wasn't in this to kill anyone. If it came down to it, she figured she'd do what she had to, but honestly...it hadn't come up yet, and if it did it would be enough of an emergency that she wouldn't be acting out of worry about what he'd think of her actions.

,,

Cash though. Huh. That was trickier than Focht made it sound. A million bucks in cash wouldn't fit in anything less than a briefcase, and that would be if it was in bills too large to use without attracting attention. Deposit it, and it became a recorded asset. Shit. She needed an accountant.

,,

Or a lawyer...

,,

She chuckled to herself. Maybe this would work out after all.

[darksol-aeternium]

"Hmm...I don't know about never killing EVER. There may actually be circumstances where it is inevitsable. I can promise you that I won't go out of my way to kill anyone unless there si no other option as that's not how I work as a person, but nobody can control everything all at once, and mistakes are made. I hope that's OK Scout cuz that's probably as much as anyone can promise and reasonably expect to uphold." He shrugged casually, "But honestly, I'm pretty sure if any of us were card-carrying murderers or psychos our host would know by now and we wouldn't be sitting here."

,,

Glancing around at those assembled his gaze rested on Danielle, who had not given her assent just yet. But, not wanting to push her, he opted to just wait for her to make her descision on her own time.

[Magnum Opus]

,,

Danielle concluded making notes, having paused only slightly to listen to Scout's speech.

,,

"There's legal contexts for the context behind someone's life being extinguished by someone else. Murder one isn't the same as justifiable manslaughter. None of them are good, of course. Taking someone's life is never good - once they're gone, they never get a chance to be better. I'm just saying that sometimes it's more understandable than others, if never a goal to be striven for."

,,

She closed her notepad. "So - listen, there's something I've been meaning to ask. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that some of you would be called superheroes by the world at large. I'm not judging - I try not to judge anyone - but I'm curious as to why. The risks are great, the legal standing is questionable, the hours are even crummier than mine are and with the exception of a million dollars a year - an offer that didn't exist yesterday - the pay's not that great either. I doubt it's for the money. So why do what you all do? Why, with all the things you all can do, would you choose this life over any other?"

[SalmonMax]

Renata shrugged.

,,

"I don't know if I'd really call myself a superhero," she said. "I mean, I have this power now, but I was going around at night before I ever...you know, before it happened. And it helps keep me safe, but I don't really need it for what I do. Most of the time, it's just punks and bullies. Regular people. I can't really use my powers on them much."

,,

"As for why?" She frowned at that as she hunted for words that wouldn't sound too childish or stupid. "You know, it started out as an accident. I was out late, training at the school gym. On my way out to the car, I overheard some commotion a few rows over...and it sounded kind of like trouble. So I went over, and sure enough some guy's got his date or...someone...kind of pinned down in his car. Front door open, legs sticking out. She's kind of struggling but looks drunk or drugged or something. And...I dunno, something just kind of let go in me. So I went over and hauled him out by his belt. Then as he's trying to turn around, hit him. Hit him again. Put him down with the third. Helped the girl out of the car and took her back to her dorm. Then I went home."

,,

"I didn't really...think about it then, if that makes any sense. Didn't plan on doing it again. But it felt really...good. It was at kind of a low point for me, and just feeling like I could actually DO something, and have some kind of effect on the world, even if it was just for one person besides me..." Ren sighed and shrugged again. "A few nights later I was hanging out in the parking lot after working out every night. Started looking in other places. Pretty soon I was kind of 'on patrol' over the campus. I usually cover most of the trouble spots two or three times before packing it in and going home. These days I can get an aerial view, so it goes a lot faster, but in the beginning it was all footwork."

,,

She grins wistfully, but the grin fades. "Anyway, got in trouble a few times doing it. Not everyone's a half-drunk frat boy. Some guys know what they're doing. I don't back down easy though."

[Doctor Northlight]

"I'm 1% of the 1%. I've lived a fortunate life. I see this as a way for me to give back for living a fortunate life, Miss." Rachael said, plainly as she took her suit out. "I planned on starting off with this with or without meeting everyone today." She said, adjusting her short hair. "My Mother and Father wanted to change the world with their computer research, they had done a lot for the world. A world that still has problems. As evidenced by my parent's killers."

,,

She adjusted her glasses. "I have lived my life from then on to honor my parents, and to use the gift that I now have to it's greatest potential. That is what the Northlight suit was designed for. To allow mankind to explore in safety. I... I just designed this with a few exceptional extras."

,,

"It's a fact that... well this life isn't easily led by a few choice words and moving minds. Tarmac and Wendigo are perfectly the illustration of what I mean."

,,

She sets the blaster she constructed on her folded suit on the table. Looking more in place at a Star Trek convention than in a band of superheroes. "Don't worry, the safety is on and it defaults to stun even in a malfunction... But I digress. I'm a grown woman. This is my decision. To help you guys, to help Mr. Focht, and most importantly and inevitably mankind itself."

,,

"I make no assumption, this is a big... no, it's a tremendous decision. But I had already accepted the consequence before even receiving that note, in a subconscious way I think..." She looked at the table. "...in a way...I'm honored."

[Slither]

Isabel took in a deep breath and readjusted herself in her chair. "interesting question, that; to be honest, I don't think I've really done anything heroic in my life. I come from a long tine of civil servants, going back to the days of Empire; 'There has always been a Sterling in India', my father used to say."

She paused and began to rub the back of her neck as her brown eyes flickered from face to face; then she set her jaw and nodded sharply.

"Right, then; in for a penny, in for a pound, eh?" Izzy sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I was recruited by the Special Intelligence Service when I was at university; they were looking for bright young men and women with a thorough knowledge of Pakistan. I was intrigued and signed up right away."

The English girl grimaced and ran a thumbnail along the seam of her jeans. "My cover was a translator at the British Trade and Investment Office in Lahore; I settled in, made a few friends and began gathering intel." She slapped her thighs. "And everything was brilliant; happy bosses, both cover and real, good food, an office romance or two..." A wistful smile flitted across her lips. "Happy times, eh? Serving Queen and Country like Sean bloody Connery..."

And then her face grew dark, very dark indeed. "And then we were TAKEN...not far from Peshawar. Stuffed us into bags and beat us. Carried in trucks over the border." She squeezed her eyes tightly until they watered. "I can't talk about all of it...classified and very...VERY painful, but...suffice it to say there was a man, there was torture...and I got away."

Izzy grabbed a handful of napkins and began to wipe her eyes and blow her nose, a mockery of a jaunty grin on her face. "But I made it home, stiff upper lip and all that, and the Commonwealth shall endure." She chuckled without mirth. "Another victory for the 'good guys'. But that man, and other men like him, are still out there, doing horrible, EVIL things to innocent people. And Vauxhall...SIS...didn't know what to do with me, now that I'm-" She held up her arm, and suddenly it went all liquid, lashing this way and that like an angry serpent some ten feet long, before it resumed its normal shape and proportions. "Different." The young Brit shrugged. "But I can't just sit around feeling sorry for myself, can I?" She gave a pleading look to Danielle. "I have to DO something...right?"

And then she was back worrying at that seam on her jeans.

"I dunno; this offer sounds as good as any..."

[Javier Duncan]

The Paladin listened to everybody else's stories. They gave a lot more background than he was still willing to give, even at this point. His identity was still something that he guarded jealously (and probably would for a long time to come). He would answer the question though, and waited until after the 'London Spy' had told her story and showed off a portion of her power.

,,

"I grew up in an ethnic community on the wrong side of the tracks. My life could've gone very differently as a young boy. The major influence was my mother, who instilled, very deeply, the idea of doing the right thing. I've come to agree with her over the years, and now I have the ability to do more good than I have ever done before. Sometimes that comes in large ways, where I can help thousands or millions of people all at once, sometimes that comes from stopping a purse snatcher as he runs down the sidewalk. Both serve the greater good, so both are worth doing. It's just now I have the ability and opportunity to do more good along that whole spectrum."

,,

Everything that he had said was true, and that was his main reason for becoming 'The Paladin'... but maybe the ethnic community remark would throw off anybody who would try to use what he said to discover his secret identity...

[darksol-aeternium]

Dumisani nibbled at his lip while listening to the others give their depositions of motive, and felt shallow in comparison.

,,

"Hrmm... Unlike all of you I seem to mostly be motivated by money, even if it is for the ultimate goal of securing my immediate family's future. When my father died in a post office bombing we didn't have much of a stipend to live on, and that little bit ran out fast. I've been scrambling through design commisions trying to make ends meet for the whole family as a result. Granted, this first year's pay will largely wipe those problems away, but that is, or was, my primary motivation. I was going to go into bounty hunting on particularly bad criminals since with my powers they literally can't escape, but apparently that involves a lot of disclosure I'd rather not have."

,,

"Truth be told, I didn't have a chance to begin any vigilante activities before this meeting was called since I spent most of my time working and getting my power under control. I don't have years of combat training behind me like our sniper and double-O here, which was most of the reason why I took more time to train myself."

,,

"Compared to you all I seem to be adrift; They caught the people responsible for the bombing that killed my dad, so I can't hunt them down. The incident that triggered my powers was too random for me to track down the culprits, and from what I heard, no one really got hurt or anything. And while we were never comfortable, we were never that poor either. If you ask why I'd continue with all this after the first year I couldn't really tell you something concrete." He paused to collect his thoughts before going on.

,,

"I guess...my primary motivation for joining this team is to keep myself from doing any of the other illicit things I could be doing with these powers."

[Magnum Opus]

Danielle listened patiently to everyone's responses as they came, and nodded.

,,

She stood, and...

,,

... changed wasn't quite the right word. It was more like Danielle unfolded; became more herself. She grew half a foot, her figure becoming more statuesque. The planes of her face and her eye color shifted. Her clothing went through the most dramatic change, going from the nondescript greys of a working professional to the caped red, white and black bodysuit of one of the most famous superheroes in the world.

,,

,,

Magnum Opus smiled. "Hi."

,,

She reached behind her head to tie back her hair. "Well, you've convinced me. I'm in."

[SalmonMax]

"Fuck me," Renata blurted out loud, completely floored. Her brain realized it a second later, and her cheeks flared red. "I mean...uh...wow."

,,

Most of her cognitive capacity was being used to repeat, jesus christ I was totally just hitting on Magnum Opus over and over again, and it showed.

,,

She looked at Focht. "So...you...and her? This was like some kind of test?"

[Doctor Northlight]

Rachael unbuttoned her blazer with a smile. "Well, as we're getting ready, I should suit up. I have to do it the old fashioned way." She waved down any concerns. "And don't worry, I'm wearing a black cotton bodysuit under this outfit... nothing to worry about for the more bashful of us.

,,

It seemed Rachael planned for faster changes, most of her clothes had secondary velcro fasteners to allow her to take off her clothes in a hurry. It didn't take long to be set to put on her first creation with her super-intellect. The white and blue bodysuit didn't seem like a fully realized combat suit like Paladin's, but something about the whole design suggested that it was more than ready.

,,

She pulled out a pair of goggles and put them on, adjusting what looked like a clear plastic hood. A hood connected to a padded back construct. She pulls it over her head and it closes to the neck of the suit, in moments the suit pressurizes, and the hood takes shape into a round sphere before it looks like it hardens into some sort of glass-like plastic.

,,

She puts her blaster in a holster built into the right hip of her suit and moves her head slightly, speaking through her speaker. "You can call me Northlight... Doctor Northlight..." She giggled. Blushing a bit. "I really didn't have any paradigm to work with, so I let my imagination run wild... I always wanted to go to space someday. But considering the sorry state of the American space program, this is just a representation of a dream more than anything."

,,

She sat her left hand on her hip. "Magnum Opus... it seems your uniform is far more easy to deal with. No question. But my suit needs to have many things to attach and interface." In fact, she connects a data cable from what looks like a backpack to the back of the bubble helmet. A small HUD comes online with a read out of her suit's function. "Sometimes technology is left wanting."