September 1st, 2020, New Haven USA


The X-Men were released less than twenty-four hours after they allowed themselves to be captured.  It was a decision born out of pragmatism; the X-Men just stopped not one, but two, terrorist attacks carried by the Mutant Brotherhood.  The powers that be didn’t like how things went down, but had no choice but grind their teeth and accept the fact that the X-Men were a necessary evil.  For now.

Having spent the night at a little bohemian hotel in New Haven (all expenses paid for by the US government), and following a hearty breakfast the following morning, Frank and Ana got into their taxi and drove back to the same government building in which they spent the previous day. Only now they arrived as guests of Valerie Cooper, rather than prisoners.
After passing through security and receiving their temporary id badges, they met with Valerie.  The young woman was dressed much more conservatively this time; a black a-line knee-length skirt over a dark hosiery, and a (bottomed up!) cerulean collared shirt.  She smiled, and greeted the two ‘hello’, but was clearly eager with getting their meeting started because she already started ushering them toward the conference room as they exchanged pleasantries

“Here we are” she waited for them to step inside, and take their seats, before going in herself and closing the door behind them.  Her laptop was already connected, her deck about ‘Freedom Force’ ready to go, but she wanted to give them the opportunity to settle in before she would take them through a one-hour presentation.

“I’m sure you must have many questions, and concerns, about the new agency.  Similarly, I have many questions and concerns about you; I must make sure I recruit the right people for this position.  Having super-powers isn’t nearly enough.  You’ll need to have the right psychological profile for this job; mentally stable, patriotic, dependable.  I can’t afford to have any loose cannons on this team”

Tank nodded, but said nothing at Valerie's description of their ideal candidate. He was pretty sure he qualified based on those criteria, but the decision ultimately wasn't his to make.

"Who else will be on this team?" he asked instead.

Valerie hesitates before answering, but eventually decides to disclose the information:

"Two others, presently.  One who goes by the name of 'Mistress', can exhale different types of gases.  The other is Fiona; a mutant with the ability to raise the dead, and kill with the touch of her hand" 

Ana Sofía takes a seat beside Frank, a gesture of unity in the new environment. She listens intently. "Those are good qualities," she replies to Valerie. "While I have many questions, many will surely be answered, and I'm bound to come up with more. So I'd be happy to let you ask away and say what you will first."

Upon hearing about Fiona Ana Sofía asks, "Raise the dead like Jesus? Or raise the dead like zombies?"

«Because what super-team is complete unless there's someone who can literally kill at a whim?» Tank thought, his mind open to Ana for this comment. He had barely trusted Zoey, and that had turned out pretty badly. Now he'd be teamed up with someone else who could do what she did: kill with impunity.

"And who's in charge?" he asked, putting that thought aside for the moment. There had been a distinct lack of leadership in the field during his outing with the X-Men, with Beast letting some of the others go haring down whatever path they chose. Serena, for one, had done only what Serena wanted (and shouldn't have been there in the first place). It had been a clusterfuck. "There's obviously got to be a clear chain of command to this."

“Subjects raised within minutes of their death retain ALL their memories, and some of their personality as well.  A week later results in significant degradation in both.  In either case, the reanimated obey Fiona’s command, so I would say her powers fall short of a truly divine miracle”   - zombies then

Valerie skipped a few slides in her presentation to reach the one about the chain of command:

“Freedom Force is a new agency inside the Department of Homeland Defense.  The department Director is the undersecretary of Homeland Security-”  the undersecretary being herself  “-reporting to the Secretary of Homeland Security, who is appointed by the President.  Douglas Price, a former SEAL and a US Navy Colonel, is Tactical Command, and all operatives are to follow his orders while on the field”
This message was last edited by the player at 15:31, Sun 25 Apr 2021.

OOC: As we haven't returned to the mansion and we were last arrested in our X-Men uniforms, are we still wearing those from yesterday, in which case we showed up from the lodging that way?

Ana Sofía replies to Frank, 'Yes, I'm paying attention to the recruitment, too.'
This message was last edited by the player at 15:10, Sat 24 Apr 2021.