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Description

One night, in the city of Sioux Fall, South Dakota, a bank heist was underway. A group of criminals, some decked out in advanced battle armor, had broken into a major bank depository, having not seen hide nor hair of Sioux Fall’s local superhero, Static, for a long while. Static had been busy with The Titans, a team of superheroes down in Miami, Florida for a while now, so the robbers thought they were in the clear. That is, until another hero made his appearance. The wall busted down, startling the robbers, and out stepped Icon, an African American hero with powers comparable to Superman, a more well-known hero. Being a college professor in his civilian identity, named Augustus Freeman, Icon calmly tried to convince the robbers to stand down and return their stolen goods. When they refused, opening fire on Icon, his student stepped in. Rocket, real name: Raquel Ervin, used the powers provided by her inertia-winder belt, which was built by both her and Augustus, to deflect the bullets and she and Icon stepped into action. After swiftly besting the robbers, Rocket and Icon saw one of the downed battle armors about to explode, but it was seemingly ‘vacuumed up’ by an unknown force before the blast could injure anyone. The force was a humanoid entity wearing well-to-do clothes, but with a physical body seemingly made from clouds and sky. He introduced himself to Icon and Rocket as Amnon Silverstein, aka Twilight. Twilight told them that his ‘benefactor’ had been keeping an eye on many heroes of Earth, but Icon and Rocket have truly garnered his interest. So, he’s sent Twilight to invite them to join his own team of ‘concerned meta-talented citizens’. He handed them a card each and disappeared. Icon and Rocket also got out of the bank before the police could arrive to arrest the bank robbers. Later the next day, Raquel, in her home with her young son Amistad and her best friend Darnice, talked to Darnice about the offer bestowed by Twilight’s benefactor. She had already talked to Augustus, who refused to take up this offer, saying he has a bad feeling about it. Raquel was more on the fence, but Darnice convinced her that she could help more people with this benefactor’s reach and ability. In the end, Raquel, leaving her son’s care in Darncie’s hands, donned her Rocket uniform and took out the card that Twilight handed her. The card was actually a pan-spatial gate that opened for her, and she stepped in. She entered the foyer of a technologically advanced tower, and several armed soldiers surrounded her. A voice told them to stand down, as she was invited here. And then, out stepped an older man accompanied by Twilight and two others, Iron Butterfly and Iota. The older man introduced himself as Dharma, leader of the Shadow Cabinet. And this tower is their headquarters, the Shadowspire. Giving a tour of the Shadowspire, where Rocket was shown the facilities used by the Shadow Cabinet’s soldiers and staff, Dharma explained that he has slowly begun to assemble this team together to preemptively seek out threats to society to quell them before they become out of control. Having precognitive powers, Dharma explained that he’s seen a vision of a ‘grave crisis’ coming, and the Shadow Cabinet must be prepared. However, what Dharma described to Rocket did not sit right with her, and she began feeling like the Shadow Cabinet is planning on subjugating free society to serve their sense of a greater good. When Rocket refused to join, Dharma ordered his soldiers to surround her, saying those not willing to cooperate and those who know too much ‘must be silenced’. Meanwhile, Augustus was looking for Raquel and soon enough realized where she was. He tried to look for her across the city, as Icon, and then realized the card that Twilight handed him was a gateway. He activated it and found himself in the Shadowspire. Icon was attacked by Dharma’s soldiers, and he fought through them to find Rocket. While they were distracted by the commotion outside the chamber they were in, Rocket attacked Dharma and his three majordomos. Only by reuniting with Icon that she gained the upper hand against them. Icon battled Dharma and Twilight, while Rocket battled Iron Butterfly and Iota. Though a skilled warrior in his own right, with precognitive powers, Dharma was soon bested by Icon, who threw him against Twilight to trap him in the living pocket dimension. The destruction caused by the fight compromised the structural integrity of the Shadowspire, and the personnel of the Shadow Cabinet evacuated. Icon and Rocket evacuated too, carrying the defeated Twilight, Iron Butterfly, and Iota on their backs. When the Shadowspire crumbled, it’s revealed that it was a cloaked facility located in the wilds of Middle America. With the Shadow Cabinet bested, their soldiers knelt before Rocket and Icon. Icon told them to stand, as ‘they bend the knee to no one anymore’. Rocket also told them to apply their skills to more useful pursuits, such as helping the homeless and improving city infrastructure. However, Twilight, Iron Butterfly, and Iota wanted to stand by Icon and Rocket, as they have nowhere else to go. Our heroes agreed and they decided to reform the Shadow Cabinet as a more traditional hero team instead of following the totalitarian views of Dharma.

Notes:

* Dharma, real name: Dr. Harold Chawney, was a scientist who gained his precognition when he was briefly exposed to the energy of the ‘intrinsic field separator’, the same one that transformed his colleague Dr. Eiji Tsuburaya into the superpowered villain Ultraman.

* Dharma showed the vision of the ‘grave crisis’ to his student Peter Kesel, and that was enough to drive Peter insane. Peter became the Scavenger to assemble a weapon to fight against the ‘coming darkness’, which brought him into conflict with the hero Aquaman.

* Isadora Smythe, aka Iota, was mutated in an accident to be able to shrink. When Dharma recruited her, he made her a suit that would allow her to shrink to smaller sizes more safely, using technology copied from the hero known as The Atom.

* Kahina Eskandari, aka Iron Butterfly, has ferrokinetic powers, and uses them mainly to reform metal into wings for flight, among other applications.

Description

One night, in the city of Sioux Fall, South Dakota, a bank heist was underway. A group of criminals, some decked out in advanced battle armor, had broken into a major bank depository, having not seen hide nor hair of Sioux Fall’s local superhero, Static, for a long while. Static had been busy with The Titans, a team of superheroes down in Miami, Florida for a while now, so the robbers thought they were in the clear. That is, until another hero made his appearance. The wall busted down, startling the robbers, and out stepped Icon, an African American hero with powers comparable to Superman, a more well-known hero. Being a college professor in his civilian identity, named Augustus Freeman, Icon calmly tried to convince the robbers to stand down and return their stolen goods. When they refused, opening fire on Icon, his student stepped in. Rocket, real name: Raquel Ervin, used the powers provided by her inertia-winder belt, which was built by both her and Augustus, to deflect the bullets and she and Icon stepped into action. After swiftly besting the robbers, Rocket and Icon saw one of the downed battle armors about to explode, but it was seemingly ‘vacuumed up’ by an unknown force before the blast could injure anyone. The force was a humanoid entity wearing well-to-do clothes, but with a physical body seemingly made from clouds and sky. He introduced himself to Icon and Rocket as Amnon Silverstein, aka Twilight. Twilight told them that his ‘benefactor’ had been keeping an eye on many heroes of Earth, but Icon and Rocket have truly garnered his interest. So, he’s sent Twilight to invite them to join his own team of ‘concerned meta-talented citizens’. He handed them a card each and disappeared. Icon and Rocket also got out of the bank before the police could arrive to arrest the bank robbers. Later the next day, Raquel, in her home with her young son Amistad and her best friend Darnice, talked to Darnice about the offer bestowed by Twilight’s benefactor. She had already talked to Augustus, who refused to take up this offer, saying he has a bad feeling about it. Raquel was more on the fence, but Darnice convinced her that she could help more people with this benefactor’s reach and ability. In the end, Raquel, leaving her son’s care in Darncie’s hands, donned her Rocket uniform and took out the card that Twilight handed her. The card was actually a pan-spatial gate that opened for her, and she stepped in. She entered the foyer of a technologically advanced tower, and several armed soldiers surrounded her. A voice told them to stand down, as she was invited here. And then, out stepped an older man accompanied by Twilight and two others, Iron Butterfly and Iota. The older man introduced himself as Dharma, leader of the Shadow Cabinet. And this tower is their headquarters, the Shadowspire. Giving a tour of the Shadowspire, where Rocket was shown the facilities used by the Shadow Cabinet’s soldiers and staff, Dharma explained that he has slowly begun to assemble this team together to preemptively seek out threats to society to quell them before they become out of control. Having precognitive powers, Dharma explained that he’s seen a vision of a ‘grave crisis’ coming, and the Shadow Cabinet must be prepared. However, what Dharma described to Rocket did not sit right with her, and she began feeling like the Shadow Cabinet is planning on subjugating free society to serve their sense of a greater good. When Rocket refused to join, Dharma ordered his soldiers to surround her, saying those not willing to cooperate and those who know too much ‘must be silenced’. Meanwhile, Augustus was looking for Raquel and soon enough realized where she was. He tried to look for her across the city, as Icon, and then realized the card that Twilight handed him was a gateway. He activated it and found himself in the Shadowspire. Icon was attacked by Dharma’s soldiers, and he fought through them to find Rocket. While they were distracted by the commotion outside the chamber they were in, Rocket attacked Dharma and his three majordomos. Only by reuniting with Icon that she gained the upper hand against them. Icon battled Dharma and Twilight, while Rocket battled Iron Butterfly and Iota. Though a skilled warrior in his own right, with precognitive powers, Dharma was soon bested by Icon, who threw him against Twilight to trap him in the living pocket dimension. The destruction caused by the fight compromised the structural integrity of the Shadowspire, and the personnel of the Shadow Cabinet evacuated. Icon and Rocket evacuated too, carrying the defeated Twilight, Iron Butterfly, and Iota on their backs. When the Shadowspire crumbled, it’s revealed that it was a cloaked facility located in the wilds of Middle America. With the Shadow Cabinet bested, their soldiers knelt before Rocket and Icon. Icon told them to stand, as ‘they bend the knee to no one anymore’. Rocket also told them to apply their skills to more useful pursuits, such as helping the homeless and improving city infrastructure. However, Twilight, Iron Butterfly, and Iota wanted to stand by Icon and Rocket, as they have nowhere else to go. Our heroes agreed and they decided to reform the Shadow Cabinet as a more traditional hero team instead of following the totalitarian views of Dharma.

Notes:

* Dharma, real name: Dr. Harold Chawney, was a scientist who gained his precognition when he was briefly exposed to the energy of the ‘intrinsic field separator’, the same one that transformed his colleague Dr. Eiji Tsuburaya into the superpowered villain Ultraman.

* Dharma showed the vision of the ‘grave crisis’ to his student Peter Kesel, and that was enough to drive Peter insane. Peter became the Scavenger to assemble a weapon to fight against the ‘coming darkness’, which brought him into conflict with the hero Aquaman.

* Isadora Smythe, aka Iota, was mutated in an accident to be able to shrink. When Dharma recruited her, he made her a suit that would allow her to shrink to smaller sizes more safely, using technology copied from the hero known as The Atom.

* Kahina Eskandari, aka Iron Butterfly, has ferrokinetic powers, and uses them mainly to reform metal into wings for flight, among other applications.