Between the chaos and trauma of the opening mission and the serious stakes of what comes next, Anders decides that this business is not for him. With a few shaken hands and vague well wishes, he walks out the door and is escorted from the premises. For seven other people, however, this is the start of a dangerous, exciting, and life-changing journey. April, Elisabeth, Henrika, Jackson, Nick, Robyn, and Tony join Hank, Sandra, Jenna, Francis, Devan, and Amber in a toast. Promises of new equipment, cashflow, surgical procedures, and room assignments follow. Everyone gets their own apartment because the Liberty Corps has more money than it knows what to do with thanks to licensing and merchandising.
Words are exchanged, both deep and shallow, between old members and new. More drinks are poured, and something like a party ensues. While Tony proceeds to spend far more time eating than drinking, and later becomes lost in game after game of foosball with Francis, Jenna and, occasionally Devan, Robyn's drinking problem gets the better of her and she finds herself tossing back shots in an unhealthy way before staggering back to her room in a drunken stupor of self-loathing. Ted, the guy who seems to do nearly every job around Liberty Mountain, eventually lets his scruples down after Hank, before disappearing, orders him to loosen up. The mechanic/pilot/cybersecurity expert/bartender proceeds to get uproariously drunk and take on all comers in a game of darts which he wins with surprising ease, aided by an unknown superpower. Jackson is one of those he plays against, but he's also responsible enough not to approach pass-out levels of drinking. He has a few with his new teammates, is a good sport at darts, and makes his way back to his room.
No such restraint can be found among some of the team's younger members. Nick makes a bottle of Maker's Mark his own as he joins the game of darts. The night reaches its peak of absurdity as he swings his baseball bat into Elisabeth's invincible knees. For her part, Force is generally an affable menace, smashing bottles, laughing uncontrollably, and hurling darts into walls before finding a couch and passing out. Amber doesn't come off much better. The teenager goes hard, slamming back mixer drinks as if there's no tomorrow. One might wonder if she were trying not to think about something, but she never slips over into being antisocial, just into a warm haze of alcohol-induced sleep on one of the reclining massage couches beside the gramophone. Her reluctant partner-in-crime, April, doesn't end the night on such a high note. Finding her way back to her room in a state of drunkenness, she lies awake in bed for an uncomfortably long time, wracked with fear and doubt about virtually everything.
What Happened Last Night
IC Begins
Ted isn't one to drink when he's tending the bar. That's unprofessional.
Ted isn't one to say 'no' to his boss. That's unprofessional.
So, when Hank asks him to drink, he has a dilemma.
((OOC Poll: What should Ted do?)) - 3 say drink, 1 says keep it classy
MODS Yesterday at 7:35 PM
Ted decides to listen to his boss' instructions.
He hammers one back, and then another
and then another
He steps up to the line to play darts. "Who'm I facing?" he slurs.
Nick Yesterday at 7:37 PM
"Guess I'll step up to the plate," Nick says, still not as drunk as he'd like
John Cena Yesterday at 7:38 PM
(is this the part where ted gets perfect shots over and over again?)
MODS Yesterday at 7:39 PM
"Place your wagers!" says Devan, staggering in with a bottle in each hand. "I've got ten on the big guy!"
((You'll see what Ted can do. It's related to his powers.))
"Oh!" says Devan, "do we have another player?" He looks at April expectantly.
John Cena Yesterday at 7:41 PM
perhaps
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 7:41 PM
Force has managed to steal an entire bottle of Vodka
it is not the good type
it also wasn't theft
she took it while staring at Ted and he didn't say anything
MODS Yesterday at 7:42 PM
Ted is totally cool with that.
This is just his part-time gig.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 7:42 PM
(also force will totally play darts but I have other shit going on so feel free to make her do whatever)
Nick Yesterday at 7:43 PM
"This is gonna be fun!" Nick takes a swig
MODS Yesterday at 7:43 PM
"We got three!" Devan cries, his face almost disturbingly happy. This guy does not know how to hold his liquor. "Any more?"
((You in or not, April?))
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 7:44 PM
Force has already finished the vodka
she just barely restrains herself from throwing it into something
MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA Yesterday at 7:45 PM
In
MODS Yesterday at 7:45 PM
Ted glances at her uneasily.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 7:45 PM
and will now have to roll above a 17 to throw the dart anywhere near the dartboard
MODS Yesterday at 7:45 PM
"Okay, that's four!" Devan shouts.
((looking up the rules of darts))
John Cena Yesterday at 7:46 PM
((yes, im in, just quietly :V))
MODS Yesterday at 7:46 PM
Amber rolls up too. "Let's fookin' do this!" she says in an incongruous and frankly terrible English accent.
Devan is quietly disappointed at the lack of betting.
John Cena Yesterday at 7:47 PM
((you are not allowed to do puns like that Alex :HYPERKINGCRIMSON~2: ))
MODS Yesterday at 7:47 PM
They decide to go in order of age, so that makes April first.
((roll in the dice room.))
Nick Yesterday at 7:48 PM
((Does that mean Nick is last?))
MODS Yesterday at 7:48 PM
((Ted is last))
April throws three darts and discovers a hidden talent.
unless she was playing everyone all along.
Nick Yesterday at 7:49 PM
"Damn we need to beat that?"
MODS Yesterday at 7:49 PM
Bullseye, bullseye, and a 60.
Amber's jaw drops. She looks at Nick. "Dayum, inorite?" Wearing a duckface of focus, she tosses her darts.
20, 16, outer bullseye (25)
"Could be worse. I blame being a cripple." She snatches a mickey of rum and takes a drink.
Next up is....Elisabeth @HMS Lesbian
((We're not gonna play every damned round of the game, BTW))
((Gabe has until 7:55 EST to roll))
((LMAO))
Force staggers up to the line, absolutely shitfaced, and hurls three darts at once. 60, 60, 60.
"wwwwwwwhatthefuck?" Amber breathes. "I knew ya'll were superheroes, but srsly?"
MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA Yesterday at 7:56 PM
((Whats the full order))
MODS Yesterday at 7:56 PM
Devan is already off playing foosball somewhere, resigned to the loss of his money.
Seeing as Nick is the next oldest, it's his turn.
((then Jackson, then Ted))
Nick Yesterday at 7:56 PM
"I can beat it" Nick says with the confidence of a king "Just you watch... the master"
((lol))
"Shit"
MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA Yesterday at 7:57 PM
((F))
MODS Yesterday at 7:58 PM
Amber watches expectantly. Nick hits a 1, a 3, and... in a bit of a redemption arc, one of the doubles for a triple 10 (30)
Nick Yesterday at 7:59 PM
"Who juiced these things?"
Nick kind of just shrugs
MODS Yesterday at 7:59 PM
"I totally blame Force," Amber adds, sipping some girly mixer drink. It's Jackson's turn now.
MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA Yesterday at 8:00 PM
((Dangit))
MODS Yesterday at 8:00 PM
Jackson manages a 12, a triple 4 (12), and then another twelve.
"Well, at least you know how to hit that one!" adds Devan, popping in from the other side of the room.
Ted steps up to the line, his shirt partially unbuttoned and a glass of Cognac in one hand.
He casually flings three darts in rapid succession, not even looking at the board.
60
60
60
Ted shrugs.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:03 PM
Force is drunkly making a mixed drink that’s just 4 different types of alcohol and a maraschino cherry
MODS Yesterday at 8:04 PM
"Well, it's official," says Amber, "you just have to not give a shit to be good at this." Seeing what Force is doing, she leans toward Elisabeth and peers over, boosting herself up on her hands. "Hey, what is that? Can I have one?"
And, with that, April is up.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:04 PM
(I dont know alcohols)
(So idk whats good)
(She rolled high though)
Nick Yesterday at 8:04 PM
"Probably death in a bottle"
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:04 PM
Force points at various hard alcohols
Nick Yesterday at 8:05 PM
"Call it a suicide"
MODS Yesterday at 8:05 PM
"Buck up, big guy," says Amber, making herself a vaguely similar mixer drink.
((lol))
John Cena Yesterday at 8:05 PM
guess i am doing this again
MODS Yesterday at 8:06 PM
You are!
April doesn't have nearly the same luck as the time before. She hits a bullseye, then a four, and then - embarrassingly - misses the board entirely.
John Cena Yesterday at 8:08 PM
Eh
im just letting you get a chance
MODS Yesterday at 8:08 PM
Meanwhile, Amber decides to go bottoms up with her drink. She tries to do some countdown thing with Elisabeth because she's desperate for some kind of replacement older sister figure, but Force is already chugging. Amber takes a decent swig of her concoction and then gags, making a sour face. "Ugh, I think I got it wrong." She grabs three darts and throws three times.
Nick Yesterday at 8:09 PM
((I mean they're legit making suicides at this rate))
MODS Yesterday at 8:09 PM
The first misses cleanly. The second hits a 16, and the third misses. Amber pouts. "These drinks are definitely funky."
"I blame the idiot who mixed them."
John Cena Yesterday at 8:10 PM
and may or may not be drunk
MODS Yesterday at 8:10 PM
"Yooo shsould mix them!" Amber encourages April.
Force steps up and readies her darts.
Nick Yesterday at 8:10 PM
"Man why've you two got me beat? Shouldn't evven be drinking!"
MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA Yesterday at 8:10 PM
((Alright I need to go now srry))
MODS Yesterday at 8:11 PM
((Unless Gabe wants to roll now))
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:11 PM
14 on that
MODS Yesterday at 8:11 PM
((Roll before you go))
MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA Yesterday at 8:11 PM
((Okay))
MODSY esterday at 8:11 PM
Lightning doesn't strike twice, but Force hits a bullseye, an outer bullseye, and then nearly puts a dart into one of the sconces
John Cena Yesterday at 8:11 PM
youyou suure?
fine
mixes a few of the drinks while pretending to know what she is doing, then drinks the mix
MODS Yesterday at 8:12 PM
"I was born for this drink," Amber replies.
Nick Yesterday at 8:12 PM
"Alright," Nick cracks his knuckles. "First time was a fluke!" He throws
MODS Yesterday at 8:13 PM
"You got this, fam," Amber cheers him on. Lo and behold, it seems to be lucky, because he throws two bullseyes and a triple twenty (60).
Jackson's next. It's a 16, an 18, and a double twelve.
Nick Yesterday at 8:14 PM
"Told yous! Told all a yous!" Nick grabs a second bottle of Maker's Mark
MODS Yesterday at 8:15 PM
"Hey!" says an increasingly drunk and not-quite-legal Amber, "pour some of that in my glass!" She twists back to face April for a second. "Thx BB." She grins stupidly.
It's Ted's turn now. He has a bottle of beer in one hand and a look of concentration on his face.
His mustache bristles wonderfully.
Ted hiccups in the middle of his first throw. It drops precipitously, looking like it'll miss the board entirely. Then, inexplicably, it curves upward and nails the triple twenty.
As does his next shot.
and his next.
"S'perpowers" he mumbles, chugging his beer.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:17 PM
“Wait we can use our POWERS IN THIS GAME!?”
Nick Yesterday at 8:17 PM
"Is it the bourbon, or did those just do sommin stup'd?"
MODS Yesterday at 8:17 PM
"Wait, Ted has superpowers?"
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:17 PM
Elisabeth begins stabbing herself in the leg repeatedly with a dart
MODS Yesterday at 8:18 PM
"Hey!" Amber calls! "I can do that too!"
((someone should probably stop her.))
Nick Yesterday at 8:18 PM
"Amber don't"
"She can do that"
"Because it can't hurt her"
MODS Yesterday at 8:19 PM
"DOesnt hurrt mee. I swerr."
Nick Yesterday at 8:20 PM
"Nah I'm pretty sure it'll do something, just cuz you can't feel it doesn't mean you di'n't stab youself"
John Cena Yesterday at 8:20 PM
April just silently stares at the drunk idiots about to do really stupid shit
MODS Yesterday at 8:20 PM
"'M not stitchin' you up, kid," says Ted, as he walks over to Devan. "Ten smackers, bitch!"
"Fuuuuuck, you're right," Amber agrees.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:20 PM
Force throws a dart. It misses the dartboard entirely and is obliterated against the wall
MODS Yesterday at 8:20 PM
"Nonna Sandra can juss heel it tho."
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:20 PM
“THIS IS MORE FUN”
MODS Yesterday at 8:21 PM
"WTF?" cries Devan. "How'd this chick get so strong?"
Nick Yesterday at 8:21 PM
"Yo Force this bat is trashed you want me to hit you with it?"
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:21 PM
“YES”
(Oh dear)
MODS Yesterday at 8:22 PM
"Oh shiiiiiiieeet" calls Devan. Lots of eyes turn to watch.
Nick Yesterday at 8:22 PM
"Alright," Nick holds the bat and takes a biig gulp of bourbon. "Ev'body clear back. I don' want you guys hurt"
MODS Yesterday at 8:22 PM
"Wait a sec," Amber announces, "where's April? I don't see her..."
Nick Yesterday at 8:23 PM
"That's her shtick"
"April, you in tha way?"
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:23 PM
Force punches the air in front of her
MODS Yesterday at 8:23 PM
@John Cena are you lol?
"Yoooo, that could like...really mess her up," says Amber. "Hey, you should try to hit me with one of those darts." She zips into the center of the dance floor.
Nick Yesterday at 8:24 PM
(Nick doesn't want to break a bat an on teenager's kneecaps. A responsible adult's kneecaps are free real estate)
MODS Yesterday at 8:25 PM
Hic "If she hasn't said anything, she's out of the way," Devan chimes in.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:25 PM
“Oh yeah THATS why i punched”
MODS Yesterday at 8:25 PM
"But what if you like, hit her?"
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:26 PM
“Her loss”
Force smiles wickedly
MODS Yesterday at 8:26 PM
Despite herself, Amber giggles. "Fuck ur evull."
Nick Yesterday at 8:26 PM
"If she is, what's left of this bat is goin' down your throat, Devan"
Nick readies his bat, sloppy stance and all, and swings the thing at Force
MODS Yesterday at 8:27 PM
"Step to me on Wednesday, fam!" Devan calls. Jenna places an unamused hand on his shoulder.
John Cena Yesterday at 8:27 PM
(what a moment to go AFK lol)
MODS Yesterday at 8:27 PM
((You can randomly appear))
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:27 PM
(Hopefully i didnt murder you)
Nick Yesterday at 8:27 PM
((are you in the way))
(Nah she won't die, just crippled)
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:28 PM
(Oh no she’d die i was aiming for the head)
MODS Yesterday at 8:28 PM
((Amber assures you that it isn't so bad))
((oh, true))
Welp, Nick swings for the fences or, rather, Elisabeth's knees.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:29 PM
Elisabeth looks down at the bat, which has stopped quite suddenly at her knees
She starts giggling a little
Then they cascade out of her in an avalanche of laughter
MODS Yesterday at 8:29 PM
The already-damaged bat hits with resounding crack. One splinter ends up in the ceiling, one flies past Ted's head. Another would've impaled Devan, but Amber manages to get in the way and catch it in midair.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:30 PM
“You.... were.... so.... worried”
MODS Yesterday at 8:30 PM
"Nuh-unh!" Amber shouts. "I wasn't!"
Jenna glances over at her with a mother's patience. "She wasn't talking to you, dear."
John Cena Yesterday at 8:31 PM
please don't kill anyone
Nick Yesterday at 8:31 PM
"That went well!" Nick shouts before throwing the obliterated remains of his bat in the trash
MODS Yesterday at 8:32 PM
"You just got powered up more?" Amber observes, "right?"
She also finally tries some of April's mixer. It isn't bad. "You can officially mix my drinks any day," she assures her fellow teenager.
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:33 PM
Force continues giggling on the floor
And finally wheezes out a yes
John Cena Yesterday at 8:33 PM
gives her a slightly awkward smug look like she knows what she's doing
HMS Lesbian Yesterday at 8:34 PM
(And now I actually leave)
John CenaYesterday at 8:34 PM
((bye))
MODS Yesterday at 8:34 PM
Elisabeth, finally overcome by the alcohol she's had, manages to find a couch and pass out on there.
"Hey," says Amber, finally noticing April's discomfort, "You wanna help me choose some music? It looks like mostly dadrock, which isn't too bad, and like Elvis and old jazz and whatever."
John Cena Yesterday at 8:38 PM
suure thing
MODS Yesterday at 8:39 PM
If Amber could skip, she would skip over to the gramophone. That is how drunkenly jolly she is at present. "Hey you!" she calls Nick, "you know old stuff better. Come help!"
Nick Yesterday at 8:39 PM
Nick retires to a couch after this great feat of being a drunken idiot, spending the rest of the night talking shop with whoever will listen about baseball, and slurring most of it horribly
MODS Yesterday at 8:39 PM
((oops, timing))
Nick Yesterday at 8:39 PM
"Uhh, fuckin... AD/DC"
"Yeeeeaahhhh"
MODS Yesterday at 8:41 PM
"Thanks, Nick!" Amber calls. "You know, I think I got diagnosed with that as a kid. I mean, it's 2020, amirite? Not having some kind of diagnosis is just unprofessional." They reach the shelf full of records. "You cool with AC/DC?" she asks April. "You should really choose, TBH."
((Does Nick wanna keep going if I can find someone to talk baseball, or are you basically peace-outing?))
Nick Yesterday at 8:43 PM
((Peace-outing because I don't know much about baseball and most of his talk would probably be about the recent MLB news, which doesn't exist yet for obvious reasons))
MODS Yesterday at 8:43 PM
((kek, true))
John Cena Yesterday at 8:44 PM
AC/DC is fine
MODS Yesterday at 8:44 PM
So, as the party is starting to wind down, AC/DC cranks out of the radio.
John Cena Yesterday at 8:45 PM
((did her drunk ass hear AC/DC and simultaneously hear it right and hear ADHD?))
Nick Yesterday at 8:45 PM
Nick said AD/DC
MODS Yesterday at 8:47 PM
((Yup. Amber's had a lot to drink. It's debatable whether she misheard and heard properly at the same time or whether she was trying to make a joke.))
Amber tosses herself onto a couch, snuggling in with a bottle of Bacardi. "OMG, these couches are literally the best." She rolls half over, finds a lever on the side, and makes the recliner...recline. "You should try it. BTW, are you even a lil' but drunk?"
"bit*"
John Cena Yesterday at 8:49 PM
let my try
MODS Yesterday at 8:49 PM
"ahaha, you said 'my'. You're hammered, fam!"
John Cena Yesterday at 8:49 PM
finishes the glass with the mysterious mix before trying the reclining couch
MODS Yesterday at 8:49 PM
"sseee? It's blessed, right?"
John Cena Yesterday at 8:50 PM
yeah, this shit is amazing
MODS Yesterday at 8:51 PM
Amber feels around the side of the couch and finds a couple of buttons. "Is this a massage function!?"
"Holy shit, it is!"
Amber starts to drift off pretty soon. "Hey Nick," she mumbles, hugging her Bacardi.
Nick Yesterday at 8:52 PM
"yea?"
MODS Yesterday at 8:52 PM
"D'you have a six pack? I know you so do."
((She has now reached the stage of making an idiot of herself.))
((and will probably pass out within minutes.))
((and not remember much))
Nick Yesterday at 8:53 PM
"Eh, not really anymore"
MODS Yesterday at 8:53 PM
"Awwwwwwwww."
"Taht's a shame. I bet it'd look reewy sexeh on you."
Then, her breathing becomes steady and regular. The recliner continues to vibrate softly. AC/DC continues to play in the background. Francis and Jenna play foosball for another hour or two.
((Good time now to wrap things up for your character.))
And, away from everyone and everything else, Hank and Sandra enjoy a quiet moment between the two of them on the rooftop where they shared their first kiss fifty-five years earlier. Both know what's coming, though one knows more than the other. Words are not needed. They hold each other and watch the city by night. And they can almost remember what it was like, and they can almost forget.
Sunday begins as a day of hangovers and bad news. It turns out that The Bubbler and Sour Cherry Blaster were broken out of police custody by Big Wing and Natural Twenty. The quartet is now at large. Meanwhile, after her tracker went down, teams were sent to search for Flashback, but Maybelle has not turned up. It may be too early to add her to the list of missing supers presumed dead, but the thought can't help but enter people's minds.
After attending Sunday morning mass, Hank and Sandra drag themselves through a series of press conferences and public statements, responding to the same aggressive questions with the same patient answers:
- There was no way to confirm that the threat to the Aces game at the Tesla Center was legitimate, but the evacuation of the building was necessary given the source. Fifty-thousand lives were at stake. Hank believes that fifty-thousand lives were saved through the heroic actions of the team's newest members, who will be formally introduced to the public on Saturday.
- The Liberty Corps deeply regrets that it could not prevent the deaths of eighteen innocent bystanders at the hands of The Bubbler, Sour Cherry Blaster, Big Wing, and Photobomb. Hank personally apologizes to the victims' families that the perpetrators could not be brought to justice. As you may know, the Corps is stretched thin at the moment, and stopping an atrocity with a five figure death toll was their highest priority.
- No, that was not why lethal force was used on Monica Xu, aka. Photobomb. She had been given multiple opportunities to surrender and had responded by killing hostages. Big Wing, with whom she was supposed to collaborate in attacking the Tesla Center, had also arrived on the scene. The Corps regrets that she had to be handled through the use of lethal force, and abhors the use of such, but this was a case of scale of harms. She will never again threaten society.
- Hank has complete faith in every member of his team. Yes, he is aware of the violent and questionable pasts of some, but he believes in the values that have guided the Corps since its formation. Among those are forgiveness and redemption. Nick Bambino, Henrika Faust, and Elisabeth Harrison are members for the time being. Their continued membership is contingent upon their behaviour and they are fully committed to recovering the missing individuals.
- No, Hank does not believe that the attack on Liberty Corps HQ was part of a coordinated effort. It was planned and perpetrated by a lone actor who may have been suffering under drug misuse and severe, unmedicated mental illness. They do not know any more about the attacker's identity or intentions, though the investigation is ongoing. Please direct future questions to the NIPD.
She kisses him gently on the cheek. "I do," she replies. "You're the strongest man I've ever known, Hank O'Meara. You'll find the strength that you need when you need it most."
He smiles and thanks her noncommittally, but he has doubts - doubts that he keeps to himself.
For a day that began so bleakly, it ends on a higher note. Nick's surgery is immediate and - in the early going - successful. Further, Ted delivers the news that, aside from unrelated taps on the phones of two members (which have since been removed), MODS is uncompromised. It was likely misdirection on the enemy's part, attempting to weaken the Corps by making its members mistrust a vital resource. They should be able to use it again without reservation. Ted also announces over MODS that the unlocking of Photobomb's smartphone is complete and the recovered data is undergoing analysis. A full report should be available tomorrow.
Finally, the security footage from yesterday's attack on HQ has been reviewed, and the suspect has been identified. His name is DeShaun Harmon, of Baltimore, Maryland. No previous convictions. An insurance agent. He is 34 years of age or - and here's where things get really weird - would be were he still alive. He was killed in a freak gas explosion eight months ago. There was virtually nothing left of the body, but there is a death certificate. There was a life insurance payout - apparently he had a policy through his employer. Hank, Francis, Jenna, and the Corps' other senior members decide not to release that information to the public just yet. It needs to be confirmed and, if it is, it holds grave implications. At the end of a lengthy discussion, they decide to share with the junior members the next morning.
The night comes to a close with people settled into their new rooms: April experimenting with her new kitchen and making something herself, Devan playing Hearthstone, Francis videocalling his family in Japan, Elisabeth smoking on her patio, Tony returning from a shopping run to stock up his six refrigerators with some hard-to-find favourites, and Amber studying for her exams with a pair of headphones and some loud heavy metal. People go to sleep.
For each and every member of the Liberty Corps on site, Monday morning begins with this coming from their phones. Some try to sleep through it. It grows in volume until dismissed. Dismissing it leads to an audio clip playing automatically. "Good morning, Corps!" says Hank's voice. "Not all of you may be used to waking up this bright and early, but crime doesn't wait! It is 0600 hours. Your presence is required in Liberty Hall at 0700. I'll see you there. Recoil out."
One way or another, they make their way over. Hank stands there, in full uniform, along with Jenna, Devan, and Sandra. His hands are clasped behind his back. He paces, pivots, and paces the other way. He nods. "Good to see you all looking so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed." There's the hint of a smirk. Then, he stops and his face becomes serious.
"Today's mission is voluntary. I respect that many of you may not be comfortable with it." He grimaces slightly. "Just... remember what the law says, and what you signed up for."
He clears his throat. "We have reason to believe that an individual or individuals with exceptional abilities are going to attack a self-described 'religious congregation' of some fifty people located in Topeka, Kansas this afternoon with intent to kill the entire membership regardless of age, race, gender and...sexual orientation." Hank's mask of professionalism wavers for a moment. "This is the location: 701 SW 12th St, Topeka, Kansas." The TV screens in Liberty Hall display the following picture: