Issue Eight: Get Together

Current Status:

Hero	Maximum Health	Current Damage	Current Health	Popularity	Current Total Karma
Agent X	67	0	67	2	280
Benni	104	0	104	6	597
Blackbird	86	0	86	35	42
Captain (NPC)	137	0	137	75	1664
EnergyStar	106	0	106	72	1470
Jericho Tesla	116	0	116	11	385
Maelstrom	82	0	82	16	122
MantaMan	170	0	170	15	1412
PowerSurge	132	0	132	28	-28
Radical Warrior	140	0	140	36	1405

Team Karma Pool: 177

MantaMan gained a second use of the Electrical Touch Power via a Power Stunt
Maelstrom gained Dennis Dunphy as a Contact.

NPC Notes:
Blue Marvel Popularity 0, Karma -2
Bubbles Popularity 4, Karma 410
Jim Popularity 2, Karma 321
Pulsar Popularity 5, Karma 584

Pretty much darn near every major superhero you can think of is gathered in the Fantastic Four headquarters for this meeting. Some of you are are experiencing celebrity shock, some of you feel quite at home, while still others think to themselves 'it's about time!'.

Some are seated, some stand, whatever they find comfortable. Drinks and warm baked goods are piled high on the table courtesy, no doubt, of Bova and whoever she could enlist for kitchen duty during the earlier part of the day.

Captain America stands leaning over the far end of the long conference room table, his hands resting squarely on it. "Allright", he says, instantly commanding everyone's attention as the room goes silent. "Let's call this meeting to order. Items to discuss include the status of our headquarters, the current membership of the east and west coast branches, and the continued viability of the experimental franchise based out of Buffalo...

First of all, some good news: I've been in contact with both Damage Control and SHIELD and it looks like we should be able to return to our mansion tomorrow night."

A short, random burst of cheers erupt from various points around the table.

"I would like to make a point of thanking the Fantastic Four for their hospitality during our displacement." Here, Cap turns to face the current lineup of the Fantastic Four, composed mostly of reserve Avengers at this point (Crystal, Ant Man II, She Hulk, Ms. Marvel II) and exchange nods.

"The West Coast team, chaired by Iron Man, has established their active and reserve rosters..."

More to come.

Jerisho Tesla would have helped Bova by baking Soda bread and would offer some hastily bought rakija (fruit brandy) from his ancestral town in Croatia.
In the weeks to come Jericho would use time off getting back in touch with his father's homeland by cooking Croatian meals.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations...635020880.html

"Iron Man will chair the West Coast team, with Darkhawk, Living Lightning, Quicksilver, Spider Woman, Vision, and War Machine filling out the active roster. Thank to Pietro for volunteering to fill in for Dr. Pym while he recovers. USAgent and the Human Torch have asked to stay in reserve status."

"That brings us to the East Coast...where things get a bit more complicated. The current active East Coast roster consists of myself as chairperson, EnergyStar, the Captain..."

"I'm going to go by MinuteMan from now on", the hero-formerly-known-as-The-Captain interjects. "The team only needs one captain and...well...let's face it...", MinuteMan whispers to his recent teammates, nodding in the direction of the red-white-and-blue spangled Avenger running the meeting.

"...MinuteMan, MantaMan, BlackBird, and Maelstrom. I would prefer seven on the team, but we can make do with six. Since many of our other members...although I haven't had a chance to speak with everyone...have chosen to remain in reserve status for a while, we could probably promote someone from our Experimental Buffalo Franchise to the open seventh position...but that brings me to the next item on our agenda..."

"With Captain Electron, Challenger, DarkBlade, and Ka-Zar all opting to move to reserve status for a while...and nearly all of the remaining affiliates of that team now serving as active members of the East Coast team...I'm not sure the Buffalo Franchise is a viable entity anymore. Thoughts?"

Here, Captain America pauses for feedback from others gathered around the table. He first looks at the small collective of former-AEF/now active Avengers, his demeanor indicating that he would like to give them the first opportunity to speak.

Benni quietly sits in the background as she listens in on the meeting.

Maelstrom was shocked. He nearly tossed his cookies figuratively, and literally when he heard that he was being nominated for active duty on the Avengers team. With shaking his hands, he carefully set down the tray of cookies he had been carrying back out to the meeting, wiped the flour from his cheek and removed his frilly apron. He was still in?!? That was unexpected.

He swallowed throatily and ventured, "What about Jim, Pulsar and Radical Warrior? They've been around longer than I have, and ... well, they're probably a bit more ... ummm ... competent? Not to say I'm not honoured!" he added quickly, "and I'd help anyway, even if you didn't want me on the team. Just ... well ...." Maelstrom trailed off with a pained grin. "I'm glad you do though ..."

"Maybe the East Coast team could be a little bigger? It does seem like New York gets most of the villains and evil intergalactic plots, after all."

X feeling a bit odd here has waited awhile before saying anything. He also hasn't shown much of an expression at all either. Mael relax and you will be okay. I have seen that you have more skill than your confidence in said skill. You have the ability to do all that would be asked of you. That is as long as you stop mumbling in modesty or fright. Trust in your own abilities and in your self. If you find that to be a problem then trust in those that trust in you. You have been given this position by Captain America. If he has enough confidence in you that you can do the job. Then you should trust in his confidence of you. That is if you can not trust in your own.

X then turns his head and attention from Mael back to C.A.. I do hope that if you must leave the Buffalo franchise. That the heroes and cops of that city will be able to handle the villains there. I must also wonder what if any plans you have for us new arrivals like myself Benni and Jericho Tesla. I mean because I will be forced to plan around such matters. I am just wondering there Cap. X then goes back to his relaxed and calm appearance. He has looked almost a bit blase about this whole situation as if it maters little to his life. Though he is quite attentive to what is going on he just has this whole ho hum expression on his face.

Energystar looks shocked.

"Minuteman. You picked Minuteman for a name? Don't you think that in this day and age that means something TOTALLY different in a different context. Perhaps you should rethink that.", she says with a smirk then turns to Cap.

Again looking shocked, "I was under the impression that we would return to Buffalo. I understand that we may need to stay a few weeks longer as the members that have been missing for a while get their affairs in order, but I had every intention of returning to Buffalo upon their return from reserve status."

"I don't know how much a man like myself has credence or the right to say this but i think someone should say it. Yes, indeed it seems to even an old relic like myself that New York City is an epicenter for crime. That is nothing new. But because Buffalo, and indeed all of Western New York, is on the periphery of that epicenter it shoudl hodl some reserve status and be a viable investigation sight. After all, Langely is some distance from D.C. MI-6 and the S.A.S. are not far from Parlimant. I could go on but the point is i think we now see how the Avengers should also be a force of investigation and proactive anti-crime. We can't awlays show up in our suits and capes and hope we can stop an evil plan already afoot. We should be actively searching out such terrorist and criminal activity in order to cut the head off the vipers before they strke rather than later."

Blackbird looks like he just go slapped with a halibut. At forty thousand feet. Shocked doesn't even begin to describe it.

"Ah, sir?" he finally manages, clearly addressing Captain America. "I took up membership and active status with the Avengers based on the need at the time and - as Maelstrom points out - I believe most of us had expected the returning active members to resume their positions on the team."

"While I would be honored to be a regular member of this team, I must admit that I have not fully examined my affairs with this in mind. I was expecting this to be a much more temporary thing."