HEROIC EGALITARIAN RESCUE ORGANIZATION
ALL SYSTEMS ENGAGED. THRUSTERS ARE A GO. POSITIONING SYSTEM LOADED. LANDING PROTOCOLS PREPPED. LIFTOFF IMMINENT. ALL CLEAR. LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL. REPEAT, LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL.
WELCOME TO CASTLEBURG, HERO.
《 H.E.R.O. Mission Control 》
Greetings, hero. All the information you need for your missions are documented here. That includes your briefings, case files, villain profiles, and most importantly, real-time updates from yours truly.
[ EVENT FILENAME ]
[ TIME / DATE ]
[ LOCATION ]
[ DESCRIPTION ]
[ DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS ]
[ MISSION DIRECTIVE ]
"From Whence They Came"
[ TIME / DATE ]
October 10th, 2029.
[ LOCATION ]
Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant
Brookside, Castleburg
Brookside, Castleburg
[ DESCRIPTION ]
There have been recent reports of an uptick in agitated Leftover presence in South-Central Brookside. Preliminary HERO reports suggestion that the creatures are emerging from the Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant. The recycling plant was Castleburg’s primary center for environmentally-conscious waste processing for over half a century, until the development of a new, more advanced plant located just over the bridge north of Castleburg replaced the older, Brookside-based coastal plant. Fixeon, who were already struggling and only making ends meet from municipal funding, immediately collapsed and shut down the plant, leaving it pretty much abandoned, and the city has not done anything with the area in the few years since.
In addition to the Leftover surge, there are rumors that organized crime has been operating out of the area. Particularly, a small but resilient group of metahumans that have begun to call themselves the “Azure Skulls,” believed to be an attempted revival of the destroyed Blue Skulls, have been seen on the perimeters of the abandoned plants. There have also been loud machine sounds heard echoing from the depths of the facility at night. Again, it is presently unknown precisely what their motives are and if they are even associated with the plant.
HERO has decided to take action against the facility and have authorized a raid on the plant to put an end to whatever villainous nonsense is going on within the depths of the facility. The gang is to be dispatched and the Leftovers are about to be driven back to from whence they came.
Note: ICOSA will be sending an agent down to survey HERO’s tactical abilities and field performance as part of their evaluation. So don’t make a fool of yourself.
In addition to the Leftover surge, there are rumors that organized crime has been operating out of the area. Particularly, a small but resilient group of metahumans that have begun to call themselves the “Azure Skulls,” believed to be an attempted revival of the destroyed Blue Skulls, have been seen on the perimeters of the abandoned plants. There have also been loud machine sounds heard echoing from the depths of the facility at night. Again, it is presently unknown precisely what their motives are and if they are even associated with the plant.
HERO has decided to take action against the facility and have authorized a raid on the plant to put an end to whatever villainous nonsense is going on within the depths of the facility. The gang is to be dispatched and the Leftovers are about to be driven back to from whence they came.
Note: ICOSA will be sending an agent down to survey HERO’s tactical abilities and field performance as part of their evaluation. So don’t make a fool of yourself.
[ DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS ]
"ALISA got the important information down. While the primary goal of the mission is to get rid of the Leftovers, I think there’s a lot more going on at this recycling plant than meets the eye, and I want whatever’s happening to come to light. "
[ MISSION DIRECTIVE ]
Exterminate violent Leftovers emerging from the plant.
Investigate recycling plant for suspicious behavior.
Investigate recycling plant for suspicious behavior.
[ EVENT FILENAME ]
[ TIME / DATE ]
[ LOCATION ]
[ DESCRIPTION ]
[ DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS ]
[ MISSION DIRECTIVE ]
"Affluenza"
[ TIME / DATE ]
October 10th, 2029.
[ LOCATION ]
Peterson Estates
Passenger Island, Castleburg
Passenger Island, Castleburg
[ DESCRIPTION ]
HERO does not only deal with massive kaiju monsters and dastardly megavillains. Sometimes, very rarely, we do dabble in subtlety. As will be needed in this case.
Samuel Peterson has long been an individual under the crosshairs of both the Castleburg Police Department as well as HERO. The wealthy heir of Peterson Communications, a major force in the publishing and journalism worlds with a penchant for sensational journalism, Peterson’s massive fortune has come under scrutiny as he is long believed to have had tie-ins with criminal organizations. Peterson was found to have invested money into several fishmongeries for the Gugliano Mafia before they were largely dismantled by HERO, and was also a major investor in one of the businesses the Koshiki Devils used to launder their money before they were shut down. However, without actual concrete evidence, these are (in the eyes of the law) a series of unfortunate coincidences and unlucky business decisions.
Peterson’s recent business decisions have come under increased focus by HERO, though, as he was discovered to have been a major financial backer of the Dodge City Cigar Lounge, which of course was a front for the Fiendish Five, and was an angel investor for Professor Gholem’s robotics company before the villain dissolved his legitimate business and joined the enterprise of crime. This revelation has lead HERO to suspect that Peterson may have had a role to play in the recent HERO Day Incident a month ago, and HERO has decided to covertly put together a group of heroes to investigate the mysterious magnate.
Peterson is holding a soirée on October 10th at his palatial Peterson Estates on Passenger Island, a massive castle-like mansion complete with hedge mazes and polo grounds. Many of Castleburg’s elite, including some of the Junkers, will be in attendance. Using my brilliance, I’ve made a couple modifications to both his guest list and his staff. Your goal is to frolic with the fat cats, snoop around, and figure out any leads as to what Peterson’s connection is with the Five and what his next moves are.
It is to be noted that Peterson is not just some ATM machine for criminals. There have been missing persons reports filed for multiple of Peterson’s staff at Peterson Estates, and it is believed that Peterson is wealthy enough to employ some metahumans as his guards. This is not just an easy mission.
One final note: given that Samuel Peterson is an influential figure, we’ve chosen to not inform ICOSA about this operation. So don’t let them find out about it, please.
Samuel Peterson has long been an individual under the crosshairs of both the Castleburg Police Department as well as HERO. The wealthy heir of Peterson Communications, a major force in the publishing and journalism worlds with a penchant for sensational journalism, Peterson’s massive fortune has come under scrutiny as he is long believed to have had tie-ins with criminal organizations. Peterson was found to have invested money into several fishmongeries for the Gugliano Mafia before they were largely dismantled by HERO, and was also a major investor in one of the businesses the Koshiki Devils used to launder their money before they were shut down. However, without actual concrete evidence, these are (in the eyes of the law) a series of unfortunate coincidences and unlucky business decisions.
Peterson’s recent business decisions have come under increased focus by HERO, though, as he was discovered to have been a major financial backer of the Dodge City Cigar Lounge, which of course was a front for the Fiendish Five, and was an angel investor for Professor Gholem’s robotics company before the villain dissolved his legitimate business and joined the enterprise of crime. This revelation has lead HERO to suspect that Peterson may have had a role to play in the recent HERO Day Incident a month ago, and HERO has decided to covertly put together a group of heroes to investigate the mysterious magnate.
Peterson is holding a soirée on October 10th at his palatial Peterson Estates on Passenger Island, a massive castle-like mansion complete with hedge mazes and polo grounds. Many of Castleburg’s elite, including some of the Junkers, will be in attendance. Using my brilliance, I’ve made a couple modifications to both his guest list and his staff. Your goal is to frolic with the fat cats, snoop around, and figure out any leads as to what Peterson’s connection is with the Five and what his next moves are.
It is to be noted that Peterson is not just some ATM machine for criminals. There have been missing persons reports filed for multiple of Peterson’s staff at Peterson Estates, and it is believed that Peterson is wealthy enough to employ some metahumans as his guards. This is not just an easy mission.
One final note: given that Samuel Peterson is an influential figure, we’ve chosen to not inform ICOSA about this operation. So don’t let them find out about it, please.
[ DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS ]
"We all have those hero instincts buzzing in the back of our heads. I know for a fact that Peterson is a scumbag. There’s too many coincidences to brush under the rug. But if this mission goes badly, our necks are on the line, so stay on high alert."
[ MISSION DIRECTIVE ]
Infiltrate Peterson Estates.
Find evidence connecting Peterson with the Fiendish Five/Jon Gholem.
Find evidence concerning the missing staff.
Don’t let ICOSA catch wind of this.
Find evidence connecting Peterson with the Fiendish Five/Jon Gholem.
Find evidence concerning the missing staff.
Don’t let ICOSA catch wind of this.
[ EVENT FILENAME ]
[ TIME / DATE ]
[ LOCATION ]
[ DESCRIPTION ]
[ DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS ]
[ MISSION DIRECTIVE ]
"A Psychological Evaluation"
[ TIME / DATE ]
October 10th, 2029.
[ LOCATION ]
H.E.R.O. Three
East Flank, Castleburg
East Flank, Castleburg
[ DESCRIPTION ]
As you are most assuredly aware, ICOSA has decided to launch a full evaluation of HERO to determine its course of action regarding some recent events in Castleburg. Part of that evaluation is document review, part of it is field performance review, and yet another part of it is an employee review. ICOSA has caught wind of the fact that some of HERO’s operatives are not exactly from an orthodox superhero background, and they have decided to conduct some interviews to make sure that all heroes are following international code. They’ve also ferried over Dr. Sabine Reininger, a world-renowned German psychologist, founder of “metahuman psychology,” and (most importantly for you all) ICOSA-employed expert, to perform some ICOSA-sanctioned psychological evaluations to make sure everybody at HERO is perfectly fit for the job.
ICOSA has requested several specific heroes to sit for some interviews and have co-opted HERO Three, one of HERO’s mini-bases located in the East Flank, to do so. So have fun with that, I guess.
ICOSA has requested several specific heroes to sit for some interviews and have co-opted HERO Three, one of HERO’s mini-bases located in the East Flank, to do so. So have fun with that, I guess.
[ DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS ]
"I hate wasting valuable time as much as the next guy, but ICOSA are the guys in charge. Just smile at them and show that you’re perfectly competent and sane and then go do some important work."
[ MISSION DIRECTIVE ]
Don’t show your inner crazies.
Don’t get fired.
Don’t kill the ICOSA employees.
No, the lamp is not talking to you. That's me, remember?
Don’t get fired.
Don’t kill the ICOSA employees.
No, the lamp is not talking to you. That's me, remember?
[ PROFILE NAME ]
[ DESCRIPTION ]
[ MEMBERSHIP NUMBER ]
[ DESCRIPTION ]
[ MEMBERS ]
[ DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS ]
"The Azure Skulls"
[ DESCRIPTION ]
Metahuman-Led Gang
[ MEMBERSHIP NUMBER ]
Probably around 30, though only a handful are actually supers
[ DESCRIPTION ]
The Azure Skulls are an attempted reincarnation of another villainous gang, the similarly-named Blue Skulls. The Blue Skulls were a gang run by superhumans that operated near the Brookside/Watervale border area, but after the well-publicized Brookside Bridge bombing, the group was pretty much finished. The surviving leaders scattered into the winds, and the entire concept was put to rest...at least, until recently. One villain, a survivor from the bridge bombing itself, has re-emerged and has put together a crew of new metahumans to try and lead the gang back into relevance and approach the glory that it once seemed to be headed towards before it all fell apart.
The Azure Skulls have almost no track record at this time. Outside of a couple of minor incidents and some graffiti, their name was relatively unknown and considered a teenage prank until multiple reports of attacks on civilians near the Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant in Brookside. That, combined with a surge of Leftover activity in the area and other unexplainable events, has elevated the group from "lousy copycat" to "possible serious threat." Much about them, including their current plans, are still unknown, though a few members of the organization have been identified through extensive profiling.
The Azure Skulls have almost no track record at this time. Outside of a couple of minor incidents and some graffiti, their name was relatively unknown and considered a teenage prank until multiple reports of attacks on civilians near the Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant in Brookside. That, combined with a surge of Leftover activity in the area and other unexplainable events, has elevated the group from "lousy copycat" to "possible serious threat." Much about them, including their current plans, are still unknown, though a few members of the organization have been identified through extensive profiling.
[ MEMBERS ]
These are some of the people that are believed to be associated with the group.
- Torch, real name Danny Luntz, is the only true holdover from the old Blue Skulls. Torch was one of the gang members that was sent to the slaughter during the 'Cleansweep.' What was not expected was that he would both miraculously survive and not be discovered. He was presumed dead immediately after the incident, but recently was identified after multiple arsons were committed in the Brookside neighborhood where he once operated out of as a Blue Skull. Luntz wears a gas mask and covers all his skin at all times, which HERO believes to be an attempt to hide scarring that he had received from the Brookside Bridge Incident. Luntz is also believed to have become increasingly mentally unstable since the Brookside Bridge incident, maintaining that the 'Cleansweep' which nearly killed him and functionally destroyed the gang was, in fact, necessary, and he appears to hold great reservations against those that have survived and still turned his back on the group. Several of the arsons that he committed were, in fact, on properties owned by former Blue Skulls that survived the bridge bombing and abandoned the organziation. As suggested, Torch's powers are pyrokinesis, and he is an extremely capable- though unhinged- one at that.
- The Menace, real name unknown, is a mutant that appears to be Torch's right-hand man. The Menace is another villain that has been hideously mutated, having developed lavender-colored skin and long purple hair that makes him look like some type of purple gorilla. The Menace's lack of history in Castleburg, and the limited observations of them in public, has led HERO to assume that they were involved in some type of scientific experimentation, as opposed to having developed powers naturally. The Menace is capable of growing to much larger and more ferocious sizes, though the extent and limits of his powers are unknown at this time.
- Things One and Two are a pair of identical twins, real names Tim and Steven Knapp. The Knapp twins were Brookside born and raised, fell into the wrong crowd, and worked as hired muscle for a number of smaller gangs before being contracted by Torch to help rebuild the Azure Skulls. They are believed to have a cousin involved in the Brookside Incident, though the extent of their relation is unknown. The twins are capable of creating progressively weaker clones of themselves.
[ DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS ]
"That Brookside incident was haunting. One of the worst things I've had to witness, not just as director of this organization, but period. Nobody wants to see that type of evil happen in their city. If they're even a fraction as powerful or deranged as their inspiration, they should be brought down swiftly and decisively."
《 ALISA's News Blotter 》
I've taken the liberty of tracking and recording some pertinent news. Or just little things I thought were amusing. Y'know, to monitor the opinions of the good people of Castleburg.
. . . that's weird, my intelligence drive got all screwed up for a second there. Almost as if another AI said that...weird. I'll track that. In the meantime, enjoy my cultivated newsreel.
- The Castleburg Times @cbtimes
Planned HERO festival ruined by villainous robots; HERO under fire for failure to anticipate attacks. Multiple fatalities in Watervale TAURUS facility intrusion. Car accident causes multiple villains to escape police custody, can a single tambourine help track them down? Plus, are your pet guinea pigs planning world domination? Read more
35.6k likes/ 19.1k reposts/ 8.5k replies - Mayor Cohen @OfficialMayorCohen
What happened at #HEROXposition was tragic and wrong, but we should as a city extend our thanks to HERO for preventing even greater destruction and devastation to our community, and be grateful that several very dangerous supervillains are going to be going behind bars.
25.5k likes/ 10k reposts/ 3.8k replies - Sara Burkey @AwwManImAllOuttaCash
OK im glad HERO saved the day and all...did anybody notice that the giant creepy Powers balloon is in the ocean rn?? like I can see it from my apartment. seagulls are nesting on it. isn't this like a problem??
2.4k likes/ 960k reposts/ 497 replies - Victor Skinner @VSKINZ49
Anybody else find it kind of weird that the Fuckish Five or whatever just showed up at the exposition, released some creepy robots, got stomped, and then left? Just me?
4k likes/ 1.6k reposts/ 699 replies
Lara Aimee @SonicYouthForever
BREAKING NEWS: villains suck big-time. NEXT
612 likes/ 102 reposts/ 10 replies - Colin Dragov @DragovDaDragon
Got to watch the Doc Holliday/Ardent/Blast fight up close. Almost got shot. COOLEST thing ever. Anybody else want to see Blast and Ardent race?
1.1k likes/ 119 reposts/ 12 replies - Erica Danoff @HeyuGuys
OK the convention center stuff with the villains was cool and stuff but are we all going to forget that HERO One got attacked and the villains there got stomped too? HERO's new people are looking so scary rn
670 likes/ 88 reposts/ 12 replies - Myra Molson @ICreatedM&Ms12
soo excited to see my girl wireframe kick some robot butt!!! i bought her hero cards and my investment is gonna pay off so hard when those cards are worth BANK
99 likes/ 9 reposts/ 4 replies - Q. Spencer Randolph @TheRealMagicianICOSA
ICOSA is dedicated to pursuing justice in every way it can, for all responsible parties. We're continuing to investigate the HERO Day incident in Administrative Region 13 and determine the best course of action for the people of Castleburg and beyond.
14.7k likes/ 8k reposts/ 3.5k replies
- Mayor Cohen @OfficialMayorCohen
Excited to be speaking at #HEROXposition tomorrow! It's important to celebrate the organization that has time and time again kept our city safe against threats, both big and small.
11.4k likes/ 3k reposts/ 1.3k replies - Robin King @RobbieRobbin
LMAO ill show up to a hero event once they're finished fixing my apt after they literally threw a gorilla monster thru my window. ive been living with my mom in new jersey because of them >:(
1.3k likes/ 356k reposts/ 101 replies - Mike Marcus @mikemarcs3000
ok its lit that i get the day off of classes. but like, who thought of the name heroxposition? a kindergartener could have thought of something more creative. fr guys
2.5k likes/ 1k reposts/ 277 replies - Katie Lei @SnorklingFangirl41
is @RealBlastHero gonna be there? does he sell merch???
490 likes/ 100 reposts/ 7 replies
Jake Fleetwood @RealBlastHero
;) <3
1k likes/ 180 reposts/ 21 replies - Anna Neubauer @ObsessedWithCiv7
They mentioned there's gonna be "demonstrations" at this event thingy. I don't care about the running and jumping- I heard there's a lot of hacker heroes, can they teach me how to remove paywalls? That's a real public service HERO can do.
1.1k likes/ 367 reposts/ 189 replies - DarknessPersonified @MeanestGuyInCastleburg
man I would love to go to the parade and the event but i gotta stay at home. got my ass whooped in a fight with this girl with skunk hair. no i will not elaborate.
61 likes/ 3 reposts/ 0 replies - Principal Rob Gonzalez @AJHPrincipalGonzalez
Excited to see some of my former students, hopefully! And the day off doesn't hurt, too.
4k likes/ 780 reposts/ 298 replies
《 Evidence Locker 》
I've been cultivating a collection of the evidence that we've been storing at HERO One from prominent villains for safekeeping and examination. They're nice mementos.
- Evidence Vault No. 008: Scavenger Hunt Tokens. Small hologram projecting pyramid devices designed by yours truly with the intention of being used for Assistant Director Duff's scavenger hunt. Obviously, that didn't work out as intended due to some villainous intrusions on our home turf, but I'm keeping these as nice bits of tech. Perhaps they might have a use for something else.
- Evidence Vault No. 041: Warmonger's Hero Suit. A customized hero suit formerly used by Director Hugo Powers, when he was actively fighting crime as the superhero Warmonger. Dark gray/green with a kevlar-enhanced fabric to make the suit both durable but also light and flexible. Remarkable technology for its time. It's unlikely that the Director will ever use this suit again, but he wants me to store it in the vault anyway. Perhaps some sentimental memories. Makes sense. You put a career crimefighter and soldier behind a desk and see what that does to him.
- Evidence Vault No. 112: Speed Demon's Goggles. Customized goggles previously worn by the hero Speed Demon, a former HERO operative and the father of current HERO operative Blast. Speed Demon was a very capable hero that was mysteriously killed nearly 20 years ago. The investigation is still pending. The goggles themselves are quite rudimentary in their technology (they were made before my time, of course), though they were used as a prototype for specialized eyewear that we have designed for other speedsters in oru employ, including Blast.
- Evidence Vault No. 339: LeNSec RFID Device. A device believed to be used by the gray hat hacking group LeNSec to digitally captured information that would be communicated using radio frequencies, such as cell phone communications and credit card transactions. HERO is not actively pursuing LeNSec as a criminal organization at this time, though we are keeping some of their tech on-hand, just in case. Can never be too careful with the hacker types.
- Evidence Vault No. 617: Doc Holliday's Revolver. A refurbished and heavily-customized Colt Dragoon revolver used by Fiendish Five villain Doc Holliday. Recovered after Doc Holliday's defeat during the HERO Day Incident. The weapon has had numerous modifications made that educe recoil, improve firing accuracy, and most importantly, reinforced the internal composition to make it capable of firing Doc Holliday's specialized rounds. Holliday has been imprisoned in the Depths since his defeat, so he won't be needing these. Wiseman has been denied access Vault No. 617. We can't give him every gun we have.
- Evidence Vault No. 619: Albino's Stiletto. A folding knife previously used by Fiendish Five villain Albino. Recovered after Albino's defeat during the HERO Day Incident on HERO One. Outside of being modified by its previous user to be especially sharp and quick on the draw, there is nothing particularly special about the blade. Albino has been in captivity in the Depths, though one hero does seem to have taken a particular liking to the villain and has visited him several times. Reasoning unknown. As long as they're in jail, I won't inquire further on reasons for visitation.
- Evidence Vault No. 818: One Man Band's Harmonica. A harmonica previously used by the villain One Man Band. Recovered after One Man Band was apprehended by Backup. Our researchers are yet to determine whether or not the harmonica has any special properties and whether or not One Man Band possesses the Hero Gene or just plays really loudly, and that subject of inquiry is at the bottom of our list of priorities. Interestingly, the Castleburg Orchestral Society retained Mr. Band's attorney, and he was sentenced to time in the Brookside Correctional Center instead of the Depths, though he is prohibited from getting within 30 feet of any instruments, for the safety of the other inmates.
- Evidence Vault No. 992: Wiseman's Chess Set. Chess set belonging to the hero Wiseman. It appears to be a standard, quality chessboard, but further investigation will almost certainly reveal some type of hidden contraption or other electronic device that could cause the board to be used for cheating. Yes, Director, this is a serious matter. No, I'm not getting rid of the chess board. Look at my record at digital chess!
- Evidence Vault No. 1006: Mood Plant. A plant-type leftover that changes its appearance and color based on its environment. Low risk of danger and no known combat capabilities. HERO has been able to procure two known samples that Assistant Director Duff meant to give away as a reward for the scavenger hunt that was obviously never completed. As a result, one of the plants was given to the hero Dahlia during her recovery from her injury on the HERO Day Incident, while the other has returned to storage at HERO One. We are currently in the process of constructing an offshore greenhouse for the hero known as Mire, and when it is complete, we will likely transfer it to that facility to see if it propagates.