Armsmaster tapped the button on the recorder and cleared his throat, looking sternly out at the gathered heroes.
"I hereby call this meeting to order. The time is 10:30 AM Eastern, Wednesday, January 11th, 2011. Location is Brockton Bay Protectorate Base. Presiding are myself and Director Piggot. Also present are Miss Militia, Assault, Battery, Dromedary, and Hymnal."
His audience was largely attentive, except for Assault who was idly twirling his finger in a 'wrap it up' gesture. He held his gaze until Battery gave him a swift elbow to the ribs, then continued. "As our first order of business, this is a reminder that our quarterly emergency drills will be proceeding throughout the next several weeks. Be sure to participate in any that you happen to be in the base for. We'll be adjusting schedules to ensure everyone participates in at least one.
"Preparations for the annual Gala are proceeding without issue. The theme for this year will be 'Heroes without Borders'. Attire will be black tie domino or clean costume. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with Lieutenant Diane Brigsby in Human Resources." Armsmaster allows his eyes to drift over to Assault. "As a personal reminder, I'm going to stress that the actions of Protectorate heroes in public events reflect upon the entire team, and the organization as a whole."
"For the last time," Assault said with an indignant tone, "it was water in the vodka bottle!"
While Dromedary only partially succeeded in stifling a chuckle, Armsmaster returned his attention to the room as a whole. "In regards to the criminal activity of Brockton Bay, there was a major incident last Saturday involving the Crook Club, as I'm sure most of you are already aware. During an attempted robbery of a jewelry store downtown, the villain team was intercepted by an Empire 88 response team composed of Stormtiger, Rune, Crusader and Honigglas. Protectorate response was prompt and containment was largely without incident." He also adds, with a nod to Hymnal, "A special thank you to the visiting heroes of Rochester-Syracuse, who were instrumental in minimizing property damage and keeping civilian casualties at zero. Crusader, Tommy Gun and Cardinal all sustained moderate to severe injuries. At this time, the Crook Club broke into a fighting retreat. Due to extensive villain presence and lack of force, on site teams declined to attempt arrests. Please be aware that our current tracking of Crook Club activities estimates that the Crook Club will continue to pursue more aggressive activities as the Empire forces them out. Maintain vigilance in your patrols and do not engage without appropriate reinforcement.
"Of course, another event occurred on Saturday afternoon, which will be comprising the bulk of this meeting." With a small motion of his hand, Armsmaster pulled up a computer presentation. "At approximately 12:45 PM, an unidentified cape appeared at the northern end of the Brockton Bay Boardwalk." He pulls up a still shot of the mysterious cape as he continues. "Appearance is Causasian female, approximately 5'6", roughly between the age of 18 and 25. Long dark hair, pulled into a ponytail. Silver overcoat over black suit, red tie. Steel mask, without any recognizable features. Armament appears to be a greatsword across her back, a scimitar at her hip, as well as steel-plated gauntlets. Preliminary gait analysis indicates the presence of multiple hidden weapons under the overcoat.
"The cape began a patrol of the Boardwalk which continued unsupervised for roughly 50 minutes. During this time, her activities and demeanor appeared nonviolent, and there are no records of any civilian incidents during this time. Shortly before Miss Militia made contact, she identified herself to a civilian as Factota, the feminine form of factotum, a Latin term for a servant or employee who performs a variety of tasks." With a nod to the heroine, Armsmaster transferred the floor to Miss Militia.
"She seemed friendly enough to the boy she was speaking to. Even took a picture with him," she replied. "When I approached, she seemed...excited. Talking with her on patrol seems to confirm that she was at the Boardwalk specifically to make contact with the Protectorate." She gestured to Armsmaster, who pulled up the video clip of the interaction in question.
"The hell kind of story is that?" Dromedary responded.
"It appears to be a reference to an event in Eaters of the Dead, a fiction book written by Michael Chrichton in 1976," Armsmaster answered.
Battery added, "That's a pretty obscure reference to make. Not sure what it might mean, though."
"I took it to mean that she was using this as an opportunity to introduce herself to us, and let us…'get her measure', I suppose," Miss Militia added. "As we talked on the patrol, she seemed confident for large portions of the conversations, but at times lapsed into uncertainty and nervousness. Her demeanor seemed slightly controlled, I would say. I think this is something that she practiced and planned for.
"She told me that she desired to cooperate with the PRT on peacekeeping operations, though she seemed uncertain what exactly that would entail in the immediate future. Shortly afterwards, she said she had to leave, or she was going to be late for something. I gave her a number for PRT liasoning, and she leapt to a second story roof and ran off."
"Information is too tentative to assign power ratings, but software analysis of her movements also seems to indicate martial arts training." Armsmaster said. "Does anyone have any thoughts on Factota thus far?"
"Definitely seems orchestrated to me," Assault said, idly inspecting his fingernails. "I don't know who's backing her, but brand-new capes don't just stroll on to the Boardwalk and say hi."
"And they don't do it in threads like that," Dromedary chimed in. "I gotta admit, I am jealous. That is one classy costume."
"It's even more impressive up close," Miss Militia admitted. "I'm no expert in such things, but it seems designed to invoke heroism, but with a strong sense of individualism. The overcoat, especially, brings to mind the dusters of the American cowboys."
"The mask is what sticks out to me," Battery said. "It's featureless, but the steel is shined to a polish. It's...almost like a mirror. Like she's trying to say that anyone could stand in her place."
Assault snorted, then seemed surprised as everyone turned to him. "What? Really, it's just me? Look, if the little missy isn't a villain, then she used to be." He waves casually at Armsmaster. "Pull up that video of her on patrol again."
As the video replayed on screen, Assault made his case. "Look, the head swivel, the scanning? Literally textbook patrol. But take a look at the hunch forward, the swagger in the step as she passes by the crowd. I know that walk. I've used that walk. It's designed to say one thing: Look out, Big, uh-" he glanced over at Battery then continued, "-Big Man coming through."
Hymnal, quiet throughout the meeting, spoke up. "Assault, don't you think you're being a little cynical here? Her motives seem admirable, and she's been nothing but cooperative. This seems like a really positive development."
A sound of disgust came from the desk at the head of the meeting room, as all eyes turned to Director Piggot. "Wouldn't that be nice? But for all her talk about cooperation, she refused to join the Protectorate. The most likely reasons are ulterior motives, or a secret she's trying to keep. Neither of which bodes well for us. Any results from the database yet?"
"I've fed it all the information we have," Armsmaster responds, "but with low-priority channels, I won't expect conclusive results for at least a few more weeks."
"Hmph. And no other sightings of her since. In the meantime, official stance with Factota is hands-off. If you run into her on patrol, use protocol for an unaffiliated cape. If she's looking to cause trouble, then put an end to it. We've got too many things on our plate to deal with more."
After a moment of silence, Armsmaster picked up once again. "In related news abroad, there was a major clash between the Cornell University bomber and the Ambassadors in Boston. Although property damage was extensive, they were successful in driving her away. Be aware that she might choose to migrate south, in which case-"
