Romanov

Nadja Romanov
East shore, Sharkshead Island – Then

8.23am

“I’m sure we’ve been this way before,” grunted Operative Bojan. “Arbiter Krieger said you were a woman of many skills, Ms Romanov. I’m beginning to suspect navigation is not one of them.”

Nadja turned to face the armoured Amazon with a look of steel. “One thing you learn quickly in my line of work is that one subterranean temple tunnel looks pretty much like every other. The people who built this place didn’t go much for straight lines. So with respect, quiet down, and let me do what your boss is paying me to do.”

Nadja looked at the ancient map in her hand. Compared it to her own she had drawn after her last play for the Anasazi Eye. Another quarter mile and they would be in the central chamber.

She turned to the Arachnos soldiers. “Round the next bend. If the Circle are here, that’s where they’ll be.”

Bojan pointed with one of her metal arms. “After you, Ms Romanov.”

Nadja shook her head. “I’m the guide and you can consider yourself guided. If the Eye is here then the robe monkeys aren’t going to want to give it up. So, soldiers with armour and guns can go first.”

All of Bojan’s metal arms aimed at Nadja. “I’m afraid I must insist, Ms Romanov.”

Nadja looked at the Operative unfazed. “Here’s the thing, you don’t have the eye yet. Until you do, you still need me. I don’t think Krieger will react too well when he hears you killed the guide before getting your claws on the prize.”

Operative Bojan tilted her head. “Retrieving the Eye is secondary. But we’re wasting time.” She indicated for the Wolf Spiders to go on ahead, letting Nadja follow before bringing up the rear.

Nadja’s mind was suddenly racing. The simple sentence that retrieving the Eye was secondary suddenly made her feel vulnerable for all her preparation. Her desire for the eye had made her careless and it looked like Bojan was more that happy to kill her.

When she had told Bojan she was always ready she hadn’t told the full truth. But when Nadja wasn’t ready she was deadly.

Nadja Romanov
East shore, Sharkshead Island – Then

7.43am

Dust swirled around Nadja’s Bowler Wildcat as the Arachnos flier hovered low to the rugged cliff. As the Arachnos team descended, Nadja stepped out of the custom off-road vehicle. She was wearing a black Armourworks Armadillo survival suit. A gold belt of charms and relics around her waist. A silver rapier on her back and a dagger on her curvaceous hip. A small pistol and emergency teleport activator were concealed on her person.

The Wolf Spiders moved forward as one. She casually changed her position to avoid being trapped between them and the cliff’s edge. The soldiers parted to allow a Crab Spider to pass through. Nadja had heard about Lord Recluse’s new recruitment drive, but it was the first time she had seen a female crab spider. She was just shy of six feet fall and was in a blood red outfit instead of the usual Arachnos grey and black. She didn’t wear the standard Crab helmet, showing off spiked red hair and a stern face daubed with red war paint that looked like blood.

“Ms Romanov, I am Operative Bojan,” she said confidently as the metal arms on her back twitched like steel cobras. “We have schedule to keep, are you ready?”

Nadja nodded. “I’m always ready. Let‘s get this show on the road.”

One think I'd like to see are VEAT prefixes instead of the usual titles such as Daring, Legendary etc.
If you create Operative Smith at level 1 by the time you reach 50 you would hope he'd be Arbiter Smith or Regent Smith.
There are lots of different Archnos titles in the game such as Operative, Huntsman, Regent, Night Widow etc and it would be nice to see you be able to adpot these titles as you progress through the game.

Nadja Romanov
Canteen, Female Block, The Zig - Now

Nadja played with the food a little more. Waiting. Finally, as she expected, a shadow fell across cracked red top of the table.

She looked up to see the towering bulk of a green skinned female that went by the name of Matilda. One of the few women desperate or stupid enough to use ‘Dyne, marking her out as more dangerous than any Troll.

“Give it to me,” said Matlida in a high-pitched voice that didn’t suit her giant frame. “You try and ‘fuse me with your fancy words again and I’m gonna bust up that pretty mouth of yours.”

Nadja showed no fear. No emotion at all. “I explained to you yesterday, Matilda, this is my pudding and you can’t have it.” She placed her hand on the small plastic tub of something labelled Chokilet. You know how it is in here, I give a girl my pudding then people are going to think they can take anything I have.” She looked at the troll woman and the two smaller women who had her back. “And some you gals have desires that I really don’t want to satisfy.”

Matilda slammed her hand down on the table. A few seconds later the tremors ceased.

The young girl that had joined Nadja on the table moments earlie looked scared. “Listen, lady, maybe you should just…”

“This isn’t your concern,” said Nadja. “You see these women think that because of the way I look and talk that I can’t possible survive in their jungle. What they don’t understand is that I spent many of my formative years in places that make this seem like a Florida retirement home.”

Matilda pushed Nadja hard on the shoulder. The smaller woman braced herself just enough to stop her falling to the floor. “We are still talking here!”

“I have nothing more to say,” said Nadja coldly.

The troll woman snatched the pudding and looked at the guards. “So what you going to do?”

Nadja said nothing.

“That’s what I thought,” said Matilda with a laugh. “Next time I see you I wanna see a sweet smile on that pretty face when you give me what’s coming to me. You understand?”

Nadja nodded. “That I can do.”

The troll woman and her followers walked away to their own table.

The young girl let out a long sigh. “That was close, I thought she was going to mess you up. You should be careful, lady. You’re just one person, you can’t fight everyone in here who wants to take what you got.”

Nadja smiled. “You don’t have to fight them all, just let them know that you’re not worth picking a fight with in the first place.”

The girl shrugged. “But how…”

She was interrupted by the sound of screaming from across the canteen. Matilda had fallen to the floor screaming in pain. Blood spilled from her mouth as the ground glass did irreparable damage to her digestive system.

Nadja stood and walked over to the commotion. Her half eaten pudding was on the table next to Matilda’s own dessert that she hadn’t even opened. Nadia picked it up; showing her trophy to the other women so they understood.

Finally, she looked down at the dying Matilda and gave her the sweet smile she’d asked for. It was the last thing the troll woman would see in this life.

As the guards rushed in to try and help the lost cause she walked out of the canteen into the exercise yard.

The girl followed her. “Lady, that was great. None of them are going to mess with us like ever again.”

Nadja turned and saw the pudding the girl had swiped from Matilda’s gang’s table. “That’s quite a statement you made. I hope it doesn’t kill you.”

The girl looked deflated. “But I thought that you and me could…”

“You thought wrong,” said Nadja as she walked away.

Nadja Romanov
Arbiter Krieger’s Quarters, Grandville – Then

Nadja effortlessly repositioned her black Versace after the thorough search by Arbiter Krieger’s men.

“Usually, I wait until after dinner before I allow myself to be violated,” she said to the helmeted Wolf Spider who was ushering her along a gunmetal corridor.

“Just doing my job, ma’am,” he replied.

“Lucky is the man who’s job is his hobby,” she said as an afterthought as they approached a heavy black door.

A moment later she was on the other side of the door in sparsely decorated living quarters. There were a few antique weapons on the walls and books on the shelves but there was no real sense of the person who lived here. In the centre of the room was a table set for dinner for two.

Arbiter Krieger entered. A tall, lean man in his forties. He was bald and the left side of his face was a web of white scars as if his face was cracked porcelain. In the centre of the scars was an unmoving, milky white eye.

“Miss Romanov, delighted to meet you at last,” he said. “You past through security quicker than I thought and have caught me a little unprepared. I apologise, please wait a moment while I put on my patch.”

Nadja gave a convincing smile of reassurance. “Not on my account please, Arbiter. A man who has got to where you have without scars would be more of an offence. And I prefer to judge a man on what is beneath the surface.”

Her lip curled as she sensed the man inside was far more monstrous than his ruined face.

He nodded respectfully and guided her to the table where he pulled back her chair.

They sat in near silence as a different Wolf Spider brought a meal that could grace the tables of any of the fine restaurants in Founder’s Falls.

“Good food is my one concession to luxury,” said Krieger. “Please, enjoy.”

Nadja sliced the veal that came away like butter and melted in her mouth. “It is excellent, Arbiter, but I am sure you did not invite me here for a dinner date.”

The scars on his face twitched as he smiled with the good side of his face. “Straight to business then, I can tell you are a Romanov.”

Nadja held his gaze. “I hope you have not brought me here to talk about my father. It would be a wasted trip I assure you.”

Krieger shook his head. “No, Miss Romanov, it is your skills that I am an admirer of.”

She gave a smile that would turn parts of other men to steel. “And what skills would those be, Arbiter?”

Krieger left his seat and picked up a folder from his desk. He returned and opened it in front of his guest. It contained newspaper cuttings from around the world, with headlines including “Daring Tower of London Heist”, “Antwerp Blood Diamond Switched for a Fake”, “Russian Icons Stolen”, “Arcane Relics Missing”.

She looked over them and raised her narrow dark eyebrows quizzically. “Very interesting, Arbiter, but what do they have to do with me?” she said with a conviction that would fool any lie detector.

Krieger closed the file. “Let’s not do this dance, Miss Romanov. You’re an expert in your field and you should be proud. All I want from you is your expertise for which I will pay you well.”

Nadja smiled. “Let’s assume I have this expertise. What is the deal?”

“There’s a sunken temple beneath the sea off Sharkshead. I understand you’ve led expeditions down there on a number of occasions. And I know someone as thorough and skilled as you would have mapped out what’s down there. I also know that it’s become a hotbed of Circle of Thorns which has stopped you finishing the search for what you were looking for.”

Nadja shook her head slightly. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Krieger frowned. “The Anasazi Eye?”

Nadja smiled innocently, playing with her food. Hiding the dark excitement that filled her at just the mention of the elusive relic. “I’ve never heard of it.”

Nadja Romanov
Canteen, Female Block, The Zig - Now

Nadja Romanov sat alone with a tray of less than appetising food on the red-topped table in front of her. The substances filling the moulded compartments in the tray were varying shades of green, gray and brown. None really approximated what she considered food. The drone and clatter of the other prisoners washed over her, but her senses were always alert to the subtle changes that signalled a brewing tension or rivalry was about to boil over into violence.

She was wearing an orange prison issue jumpsuit, but the way she’d rolled the sleeves and cinched it at the waist made it appear like a designer original on her perfect frame. Her body’s only imperfection was the missing tip from the ring finger on her left hand. Even stripped of make up, she was strikingly beautiful. Almost unnaturally so. Her raven black hair framed the Romany princess lines of her face that has been perfected by her father’s royal genes. Her pale blue eyes complimented her dusky skin like two flawless jewels set in bronze.

She prodded the food with a white plastic fork, knowing that the lost looking girl clutching her tray as if it was a shield was going to approach before the girl herself did.

The girl looked at the empty table and then at Nadja. “There’s nowhere else to sit…do you mind?”

Nadia looked at the girl. She was pale with darkness behind her eyes that suggested that something had died inside. “They keep telling me it’s a free country,” she said with just a hint of Romanian beneath an English accent.

The girl sat. This was her first day and she wasn’t hungry enough to eat the stuff that had been slopped into her tray. “So why is nobody sitting my us?”

“We’re the new fish,” said Nadja. “Nobody wants to make a move until the big fish have decided if they want to eat us or throw us back.”

The girl laughed to hide her fear. “You don’t look like a fish, lady.”

Nadja held her gaze for a moment. “Oh no, I’m a shark,” she said with a half smile.

((This thread is intended to contain short fiction chapters telling how members of The Cadre were recruited to the organisation. This is not strictly a roleplay thread, more colloborative fiction, and the action will cut between the different characters like a movie until they are brought together when The Cadre come together at the launch of i12. These pieces are not intended to be interactive and are describing events in the past tense. Any inquires about The Cadre should be made OOC to any of the players posting in this thread. Thank you.))

In case you were wondering what was the cause of all the ruckus near Skyway City Airport last Tuesday evening...

GORZILLA!

Words: Romanov
Design: Rhino

GORZILLA RAMPAGE HALTED BY MYSTERY HEROES
By Babs Lawson

A GIANT mechanical gorilla left a trail of destruction through an industrial complex near Skyway City Airport tonight.
Longbow engaged in a pitch battle with the mechanical ape, dubbed Gorzilla by the emergency services personnel dispatched to the scene, for 40 minutes not long before the late edition of the Spartan went to press.
Although they managed to slow down Gorzilla’s rampage, Longbow were unable to harm him as he was protected by sophisticated forcefields.
At the start of the battle, Gorzilla spat hundreds of tiny spider-like machines at a Longbow flier causing it to loose power and crash to the ground. The collateral damage to buildings, cars and the highway is estimated to be in the millions.
Gorzilla’s target was the control tower at defence contractor Sentinel Systems’ facility near the airport. All flights were cancelled for several hours as a precaution.
It is believed that Gorzilla was attempting to hamper efforts by Sentinel Systems to regain control of their highjacked Project Barrage defence satellite. The satellite was used to fire two devastating sonic beams into downtown Steel Canyon earlier this evening.
And, as unexpectedly as the carnage had begun, it ended when Gorzilla froze and plummeted to the ground from the Sentinel Systems tower.
Longbow commander Enoch McBain said the city owed a debt of thanks to a group of mystery heroes who were responsible for neutralising Gorzilla from a location on Talos Island.
He said: “Not all heroes embrace the limelight and we have been assisted many times by this group who prefer to remain in the shadows.
“It was clear to us that we could do little more than slow down this mechanical menace and if not for the actions of these heroes the outcome would have been much different. We are now working with PPD, Sentinel Systems and other agencies to ensure the threat to Steel Canyon has been neutralised.”
Sentinel Systems could not confirm that they had control of the Project Barrage satellite when the Spartan went to press.
It is not known whether the attacks in Steel Canyon and Skyway City were connected to a rocket-like object seen taking off from a building on Talos moments before Gorzilla fell.

Dee Dee Diablo in the New Inquirer again!

Words: @Romanov
Design: @Rhino

((Sorry about the number of posts but I thought people who've read about the concept might want to read some of the background material before we move on))

Thursday, March 20
Buzz Around Paragon
All the latest online news from the City of Heroes

LITTLE BUENOS AIRES SPRINGS UP IN GALAXY CITY
By Cleopatra Lawler

GALAXY City’s arena district has been renamed Little Buenos Aires by the Argentine fans who have come to watch their hero compete in International Hero Idol.

Hero Idol has captivated millions of viewers throughout the world and has created more than 20 national heroes.

Now the cream of the national champions have been flown to the “City of Heroes” to compete for the international title and cape.

Two of the Dogose pose for our photographer

And if the fans who have set up in Galaxy are to be believed then the competition’s bad boy Dogo Argentino has to be one of the favourites.

The fans, most of who are young women who refer to themselves collectively as the ‘Dogose’, are dressed in their nation’s blue and white. Many have their faces painted and wear the black number ten, which was assigned to Dogo, real name Gabriel Sabatini, in the Argentine Hero Idol competition.

Fan Lucy Messi wants to give Dogo a lift.

Fan Lucy Messi, 23, said: "We are sure Dogo will be the winner. Most of the girls here know that Dogo is big, strong and is always first to finish.”

((This article runs in several Paragon City magazines, including Capes and the New Inquirer, in the month prior to the Easter weekend. It depicts a golden generic hero holding a golden globe above his head beneath the title "International Hero Idol. The full page advertorial carries the below text))

Search for the Hero inside yourself!

Eight months ago ViaTron, the producers of Hero Idol, made that very challenge throughout the world. Thousands of wannabe heroes responded. Some with some a minor magical ability or mutation, others who’s knowledge of science of technology they thought could transform them into a hero. But most came with nothing more than confidence in their physical and mental abilities and an all consuming desire to make the world a safer place. To be a hero.

But a hero’s path is not an easy one. In 25 countries, tens of thousands of contenders pushed themselves to the limit. Tested their skills against each other and a series of gruelling tasks while each week facing the public vote to earn them a place in the final. And with that, the honour of walking into the Herodome a contender with the chance to walk out a hero.

Now the best of the best have come to Paragon City to compete for the title of International Hero Idol. Can they survive in the “City of Heroes” and prove themselves worthy of the name? Find out this season on PCTV as we bring you all the action from International Hero Idol. Each of our eight national Hero Idols is equipped with state of the art Steady-Cam Specs so you can experience their journey as if you were there yourself.

With real-life trials set by Paragon City’s finest heroes, the contenders will face challenges a thousand times more dangerous than the Herodome. This is no game; these are real situations against genuine criminal gangs at large in the city that need a solution only heroes can provide. Our contenders can only succeed by working together – but they must also do enough to convince you the viewers that they have the Hero Factor.

Dervish Divine, Coldblaze, Dogo Argentino, August Star, Busta Blasta, Cinderstrike, Cher Nobyl, Bio-Pulse…who will be your International Hero Idol?

You decide – Starting this Easter.

((This is a television advert that ran on several television channels prior to the Easter weekend.))

A spinning gold and silver globe hurtles towards the screen. As it gets closer oceans and continents are defined.

“Argentina! Canada! China! Denmark! India! Jamaica! South Africa! Ukraine!”

Eight golden figures rise from their respective countries and cast shadows across the globe.

“Eight great nations have sent their greatest heroes, as voted for by the viewers of Hero Idol.”

The camera zooms in on the United States and then Paragon City.

“Now they have been sent to Paragon City to prove themselves in the City of Heroes.”

A montage of news footage of heroes battling villain groups such as the Hellions, Skulls, Freakshow and Circle of Thorns is projected on to Paragon City.

“Undergoing the toughest challenges set by genuine heroes like Positron, Synapse and Sister Psyche, these contenders are out to win your vote and the title of International Hero Idol!”

The camera pans across eight heroes standing resolutely on a city street. They are wearing spandex costumes, identical in design with the only difference that each contenders costume is in the colours of their respective flags.

“August Star! Bio-Pulse! Busta Blasta! Cher Nobyl! Cinderstrike! Coldblaze! Dervish Divine! Dogo Argentino!”

The sky behind the heroes bursts into flames.

“These once ordinary men and women proved themselves against thousands of their countrymen who shared their dream of becoming a real hero.”

The action cuts to a succession of American Gladiator style contests as contestants in brightly coloured spandex battle in a series of physical tests.

“They put themselves through the most arduous mental and physical tests and each week faced the public vote. Hoping to convince viewers to give them a shot at realising their dream. To prove themselves worthy to don cape and do battle against the forces of evil.”

The footage cuts to contestants running on treadmills, lifting weights etc while being monitored by scientists in white coats.

“When they made it to the final eight they volunteered to undergo the most gruelling training as well as the most advanced scientific, magical and technological enhancements their nations had to offer.”

The footage now shows contestants stepping into a huge steel sphere. One fires a bolt of flames – another shields himself with a wall of ice.

“Finally, they were ready to put themselves to the ultimate test in...The Herodome! They knew just one thing – there could be only one. Those that stepped out victorious were hailed as their nation’s Hero Idol.”

A montage of the eight contestants seen earlier stepping out of the Herodome bruised and battered but obviously elated.

“But now that counts for nothing as they prepare for the toughest challenge yet before an international television audience of millions. The action starts this Easter weekend.”

The footage cuts back to the eight heroes in the street. The sky bursts into flames again – this time the flames form the words “International Hero Idol” and a premium rate phone number..

“Who will be your International Hero Idol?

"Votes cost two dollars. Always ask the bill payer before calling. The cost of calls from cellphones may vary.

"Heroes named in this advertisment will assign missions based on their current operational needs and do not endorse International Hero Idol, ViaTron or its subsidiaries."

The Hyperion Watchmen save the day again...

Skyway City Spartan, March 13

((Words: @Romanov, Design: @Rhino, Plot: @Ammon, Screenie: @Lightnia))

* Part of The Stalking Terror plot by Shades of Darkness/The Guild of Gentlemen Adventurers.

((This article is posted on the Buzz Around Paragon news website on the morning of March 1))

Buzz Around Paragon

((Thanks again again to @Rhino for the design work))

Romanov stood. “Then we all have much to do.”

He nodded to the vampire. “Thank you for your hospitality, Countess.” He slid the small wooden box he had come in with to her. He looked at the intricate carvings on its surface. “This is an excellent example of a Japanese puzzle box. Quite beautiful and yet fiendishly protective of its treasures. With my compliments.”

He walked around the table. “Borealis, let me know when the weapons deal is close to being finalised and I’ll make sure the world knows what to think about it. Farewell.”

It was apt, thought Romanov, that he was sitting between the dark passion of Alicia and the cold reason of Lord Borealis. Both were part of his personality when required.

He listened to them and then the Countess, choosing to ignore her display of section in his present surroundings.

“I admire your faith in my machinations, Alicia, but Borelis is correct in that there are two many variables to start spreading ourselves so thin armed only with an untested model. Liberty Islands will not only be the proof of the plan, it will also provide us with a strong foothold for our future conquests when the time is right.”

He paused. “Sometimes a plan will take decades to come to fruition and the trick is knowing the right moment to nudge it to completion. Unless Erebus and XV have strong feelings the other way, I respectfully suggest we proceed as planned.”

He looked Bathory dead in the eyes. “And while I appreciate your favouring of the male as you say, Countess, his daughter presents a much more interesting challenge to me. She is one of those rare individuals who could change the world for the better…is not the thought of diverting her path a tempting one?”

“Good, Alicia, I was confident you would be best suited to that role,” said Romanov. “One of your many talents, I’m sure.”

He took out a small silver cigarette case, opened it and placed it on the table. It projected an image of a man and a woman on to the castle wall.

“Now that our efforts to build up Buku before we cut him down are underway, it is perhaps an opportune time to put forward the candidates to become our, for want of a better word, puppet leader.”

A slight movement of his hand directed those around the table to the images behind him. “The gentleman is Hatem Nasri. He was a captain in Buku’s army before discovering political idealism. His United Freedom Coalition promotes such ideals as equality, social reform and transforming the islands near isolationist policy to strengthen links with the outside world. It is the latter that has gained him support with the islands industrialists and entrepreneurs.”

Romanov paused as if giving the others time to digest his words. “A strong candidate. However, for many reasons I favour the beautiful young woman to his left. Nasri’s daughter Rashme was educated in England and is currently studying politics at Paragon University. She went off the rails a few years back and had her wild child period, but she is now a reformed character dedicated to her father’s cause. When the time is right, a cause that he will become a martyr to.

“My daughter Xenia has already made contact with her. I am confident that it will be no great task to guide her in the directions we would have her go.”

He placed his fingertips together. “Any questions?”

Romanov considered XV’s proposal. “I had thought such duties would fall to Pistol’s men but perhaps your suggestion could be useful. You say it would be difficult though, are you sure you could have such a thing ready to fit in with our timescale?”

He paused and turned to the Countess. “You have been inside Buku’s home, Countess. Did you identify anyone who may be receptive to an offer to supply the General with advanced weapons?”

This article is posted on the Buzz Around Paragon news website on the morning on Thursday, February 21:

Six Slain in Catnap Horror

((Part of the Shades of Darkness/Guild of Gentlemen Adventurers plot The Stalking Terror. Thanks to @Rhino for the design work.))

Romanov smiled at the Countess and bowed his head slightly in appreciation. As a creature both dead and alive she should intrigue him, but he had desected and interrogated enough vampires to know them far less complex creatures than those they called cattle. But the Countess had a fire and a forthrightness that he admired.

“You have done well, Countess, and I assure you your recent discomforts will be more than compensated when we take the islands. I do hope your experiences have not quelled you desire for all generals as I fear you would be depriving yourself.”

He stroked his chin. “As for Buku, he is much more valuable to us alive. Even when our scheme has unfolded why not let the Americans hold him for a few years while they try to discover enough evidence to hang him? But I am getting ahead of myself. How go your negotiations, Lord Borealis?”

Romanov listened to Erberus, nodding each time something pleased him.

“Good. I am sure there will be sufficient human wastage from our personal projects to keep the spirits satisfied. You have done well, Lord, the spirits were one factor that I couldn’t predict as I would like."

He raised his glass to his lips and took a small sip. “Now, we must turn our attention to General Buku and his part in our scheme. I am keen to know what you made of him, Countess. Is he susceptible to your influence?”

He turned to Borealis. “And Lord Borealis, I trust the arrangement that will see Buku armed and dangerous is advancing well?”

Romanov gave a courteous nod to Alicia as she entered the room. And a less polite nod of acknowledgment to the clanking XV.

“No apology necessary, Countess,” he said to Bathory with a smile. “I’m glad that the Inquirer piece meets with your approval. By coincidence the death of the flag wearing fool Britanic presents a perfect opportunity to slip the information into the public consciousness without drawing too much attention.”

He stood up and walked around the table to the Countess’ desk. He picked up the copy of the Inquirer. “I hope you all received your copies of tomorrow’s edition. I think you’ll agree it is perfect to create the necessary demonisation of this Buku fellow.”

The Inquirer, February 11, 2008

Before returning to his seat he leant close to Bathory and whispered. “The island air obviously agrees with you, Countess.”

Romanov sat down and looked around the table. “Hopefully, you all have news that will help us move things forward. I am interested to learn how the weapon deal is going and well as first contact with Buku and the island’s native spirits.”

((Posted on behalf of Pistol))

A black limo rolls to a stop outside of the dark Castle. The car doors are held open, ushering out a young woman cloaked in black leather. She marches towards the great doors with an air of importance and is allowed in without trouble.

As Alicia enters the meeting room, one of her men helps her with her coat. Underneath, she wore a black mini dress cropped at the thighs and about the cleavage. She silently approached her seat and sank in, her two bodyguards stood just outside the door.

This article is posted on the Buzz Around Paragon news website on the morning on Sunday, February 17:

Buzz Around Paragon

((Thanks to @Rhino for the design work))

((This article was posted on the Buzz Around Paragon news website on Thursday morning))

WATCHMEN TO COUNCIL: THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT!
Exclusive by Dixon Growler

THE Hyperion Watchmen carried out a series of devastating raids on the Council that has left the paramilitary group’s latest scheme in tatters.
Reprisals had been feared since the Hyperion Watchmen’s celebrated saving of the President and Joint Chiefs of Staff from a Council masterminded mass assassination plot last month.
However, the Watchmen’s campaign against the Council shows no signs of wavering and last night three secret laboratories were destroyed by the maroon and gold clad crusaders.
Three high ranking Council leaders were arrested: Archon Ippolita, Archon Krieger and one of the group’s few female officers Archon Carissa. The Watchmen had received intelligence that all three had planned to attempt to eliminate them either in retaliation for the Washington drama or as a pre-emptive strike to protect their latest scheme.
It is believed the archons will face charges for their part in Project Prometheus that aimed to create new metahumans through scientific means.
It is understood the Watchmen also recovered a database of Paragon citizens who had been involved in freak accidents in the last five years. The Council had kidnapped some of these people as well as geneticist Dr Myleen Kwan, who was rescued by the Watchmen last night, as part of the project.
When quizzed about the operation, the Watchmen’s intimidating leader Bastinado refused to comment.
Bastinado was accompanied by Watchman Suzi White-Mitchell, aka White Vampyr, in what is thought to be her first operation since the apparent death of her husband Britanic.