Justin explained the situation in comically mangled sentences. Basically, the influx of heroic activity over the last week had been too successful. With multiple new heroes coming down hard on the formally thriving gangs of the city's residential core, the gangs had been forced further and further outwards. Numerous turf wars were brewing between the recently dispossessed and their less flush, but equally vicious cousins in the crumbling outer districts.

Add in a number of villains trying to establish a foothold amidst the high poverty, low DPD, low Hero presence of the hinterlands, and outer Detroit had the makings of a powder keg waiting for a spark. And it wouldn't take much to engulf the whole city.

The heroes stayed silent as Justin worked through the details as best he could, finishing with the information that had brought the mess to his attention. One of the new villain gangs had established a partnership with one of Detroit's more numerous drug gangs. The Hou and Los Demonios were planning to meet tomorrow before heading out to exterminate as many of the weaker gangs as they could find, clearing the way for them to take over all of the outer Detroit territories. It was the typical short-sighted villain plot that would cause a mass of blood-shed while achieving very little. They would just weaken themselves and their victims, allowing other gangs to move in, chopping off more moderate sized territories.

"I will aid thee," Revenant broke into the silence that followed Justin’s review. "I have encountered the Hou, and their leader Ku. In allowing him to escape, I may well have contributed to the coming slaughter."

Revenant has joined 'Unknown' Team. More details are available on the Team menu.

"Yo también," Shade agreed. "I've got some unfinished business with Los Demonios."

Shade has joined 'Unknown' Team.

North Wind spoke up next. "As long as you're aware that this is a temporary agreement, then I'm in too.”

North Wind has joined 'Unknown' Team.

Shift's thumb was pattering against the table like a trapped hummingbird. "Sure, I'm in." He was probably still worrying over ‘Mr Weyland’ knowing his identity.

Shift has joined 'Unknown' Team.

Division finally sat forward with a smile, as if taking the meeting seriously for the first time. "Then I guess I make six, or ten, however you want to count it.” A couple of the team frowned at him in confusion, but didn’t interrupt.

Division has joined 'Unknown' Team.

His smile twisted into something a lot more cynical, “Shouldn’t we contact the Heroes League or the DPD to get help on this?"

Shade snorted under his hood. "Sure, if you want the Furies showing up to blow the keg early,” he snorted again, “they’d probably set the city on fire before the pandillas have a chance. If you want backup, I know a team on the east side, muy discreto, they know how not to make an entrance."

“Good, good, good.” Justin beamed out of the monitor. He’d been given the option to open the quests to the team, and did so without hesitation, seeing them alter slightly as they became team quests.

Quest Modified!

The Hua Kids on the Block

Type: Hero Team, Linked

Description: You have become aware of the Hua's territorial ambitions.

Goal: Stop them.

Difficulty: Challenging

Reward: 700 xp

Quest Modified!

The Demons of Old Detroit

Type: Hero Team, Linked

Description: You have become aware of Los Demonios' territorial ambitions.

Goal: Stop them.

Difficulty: Difficult

Reward: 500 xp

Quest Modified!

Haven't We Crumbled Enough

Type: Hero Team, Linked

Description: You have become aware of planned gang activity. Prevent the further destruction of Detroit's benighted wasteland.

Goal: Prevent widespread destruction.

Difficulty: Average

Reward: 300 xp

Quest Modified!

The Blood Belongs on the Inside

Type: Hero Team, Linked

Description: You have become aware of planned gang activity. Prevent the innocent from becoming caught in the crossfire.

Goal: Prevent civilian casualties.

Difficulty: Difficult

Reward: 500 xp

He gave the modified quests a quick review and noticed that the difficulty had dropped from Impossible, and the xp reward by 40%. He assumed that everyone in the team would receive the reward. He watched as the rest of the group paused to review the new quests.

“Who’ll be calling the shots on the ground,” Division asked, finishing first.

“Hoping you be. Military man, good leader.” Justin answered promptly.

Division frowned at the alien head, obviously troubled by Justin knowing his character was former military, before glancing down at his fatigues with a raised eyebrow. Justin was happy to let him think what he wanted, but ERA had unearthed service records on a William Green, who despite the mask, bore a startling resemblance to the man in front of him.

“In that case I need to know what everyone brings to the table. I’ll need recon, preferably with updated aerials, as soon as you can get them to me. I’d like active numbers and threat assessments on each of the gangs, but I’ll accept estimates. I want us all to meet at least an hour early to go over radio signals and fallback points. Ideally, I’d want to train together for at least a couple of days, too, but I guess you can’t have everything.”

Justin flicked to a picture in picture of the Phantom’s view of the Detroit’s urban wasteland, he’d asked ERA to get started with a recon flight, and was happy to have anticipated Division’s request. “Surveil in progress. Will be deliver file, same building as meet request.”

“Good enough, in that case I’ll see you all here tomorrow twenty hundred sharp.” Division said, nodding goodbye before heading off to the tunnel he’d entered through.

North Wind waved Revenant out the door in front of her, both having gone to leave at the same time. Justin could hear her muttering about it now being a ‘goddamn military operation’.

Shade had disappeared at some point, leaving Justin, hopefully, alone in the room with Jason.

“Guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, Mr Weyland,” he said, standing up and disappearing out the door in a blur.

Well, that went better than expected!

Justin had spent the last 18 hours (3 days) in a fever of crafting. He’d given up all hope of real elegance, of composite designs, of wowing the team with the brilliance of his creations. Instead he'd focused on the simple, the tested, the tried and true. First, he’d woven carbon nano-fibre into a number of light combat weave suits to be worn under the team’s costumes. They wouldn’t stop a high-calibre bullet, but they were as good as Kevlar at blunting small-arms fire and protecting against knives and blades, and were both lighter and cooler than a full Kevlar suit. He also fashioned a number of graphene masks since all the body armour in the world wouldn’t stop a bullet to the face.

He'd prepared two high charge tazer batons for Shift, but couldn't think of anything that would help North Wind or Shade that they couldn't already do with their powers. And from what he'd seen, Division was in possession of a small arsenal.

He’d figured light armour would be pointless for Revenant, but since the skeleton appeared to want armour and he had observed him attempting to use weapons, Justin had done what he could to produce something that would be of aid to him.

He didn’t have the facilities for large scale steel casting and rolling, but he could produce small ‘scales’ of steel very quickly, and so he’d set IRA to casting and fastening thick steel scales onto a heavy leather jerkin. He’d gone for tank-armour grade HSLA, 0.8” steel. He wasn’t too worried about the weight, given what he’d seen of the undead skeleton’s strength, which is why he’d also ordered a heavy, six-foot pole of more flexible tool steel.

He’d also had time to work on his drone army. Which now consisted of another two aerial drones he’d rather optimistically titled Battle Drones. They were outfitted with a light graphene armour shell, tazer prongs, and grenade launchers (more grenade droppers than launchers really), with a fresh supply of flash, smoke, and tazer-cloud grenades ready to go!

He had so many plans to improve on everything that it was almost painful to just leave them as they were. Despite not long ago thinking he had an over-abundance of time, he was suddenly in a situation where he just didn’t have enough. He’d even been reduced to buying off-the-shelf encrypted ear-mics, it was just humiliating really.