Post by METTLE on Jan 30, 2022 6:42:37 GMT
"Supervillain" is a broad term. At the start of the twentieth century, any ne'er-do-well with a freeze gun and a cape could make a claim to the title. As the superhuman population exploded throughout the United States and abroad, the term began to be identified with a higher class of powered criminal. There was a split between metahuman goons and their more authoritative counterparts - the grimy gunmen who would snipe at heroes from rooftops or back alleys, and the unmistakable panache of colorful characters who would seek nothing short of world domination. In the twenty-first century, the post-9/11 atmosphere seemed to permeate through the metasphere, giving rise to a third breed of super-terrorists. Mass-murdering psychopaths with no ambitions beyond hedonistic sprees of violence.
As normal human law began to break down, an old power rose to the forefront of the criminal underworld, with new rules - rules that would help society survive in a brave new world of chaos and uncertainty. Led by one of the strongest of the new generation of superhumans - Mettle - the new faction, based in New York City, initiated a paradigm shift in the way that empowered crime was to be conducted. In a move that would seek to oust both meddling superheroes and rampant super-terrorists, David Leiter and his band issued a proclamation through the dark matrixes of the underworld.
It was time for a better class of super-criminal. True supervillains.
Their operations would be pragmatic, avoiding the excesses of the previous generations that had brought the world to the brink of collapse. This was an organization governed by rules.
First, no killing. If this rule is violated, then you will be killed. The philosophy is simple and effective: superheroes provide a service to the world, protecting it from external threats. Thinning their ranks through unnecessary brutality helps no-one. Furthermore, it brings down the combined wrath of the otherwise-disparate superhero forces on any and all perpetrators of a powered murder.
Second, no civilians are to be targeted. Mass murder sprees are unacceptable. Likewise, garish hostage-taking is an escalation that will only heighten the brutality that powered supers face. Push too hard, and there is retaliation. The excesses of super-criminals would either be curbed, or they would be consigned to prison - or the grave.
Third, the authority of the commanders is ironclad. The SOS is not a democracy, nor is it an anarchic coven of degenerate supers who can't follow rules. It is a mafia, built through-and-through to enforce the agreements of the various participants and to arbitrate all disputes arising within. To that end, it directs the combined powers of its members to carve out territory of operations, neutralize interfering superheroes, and bend the law to their will. Villains who do not join up are labelled rogue supervillains, denied access to the privileges that come with membership - and are exocommunicated at best.
The SOS is the law now. Not the police, not the superheroes.
Arbitration.
The SOS benefits from prosperity. Prosperity is threatened by anarchy. When super-terrorists try to set up in SOS territory, they will be beaten within an inch of their lives or killed. This frequently manifests as organized responses to mass-murdering psychopaths who would want nothing more than to destroy entire cities. Nation-topplers will find themselves more than rebuffed by the organization; they will be targeted and eliminated with prejudice. Heroes may make up the brunt of anti-disaster activity, but if they can't finish the job, then the SOS frequently will. This process is referred to as arbitration - when the Boss marks a target to be brought under the group's power. Unacceptable behavior which offends the sensibilities of the group will be dealt with swiftly and decisively. They have set themselves apart from, and thus against, the law - but they are not lawless in spirit.
Furthermore, the SOS will stand against unthinking existential threats to its member towns, ranging from enormous kaiju beasts to demonic incursions. The Boss himself will personally engage threats to New York City, or deploy a core member to confer aid upon the fragile and unguided masses of superheroes who frequently swarm such threats like so many bees.
Corporate affairs.
The SOS is a premier hub for talented supers to illicitly make large sums of cash. Nowhere is this more lucrative - and low-key - than in dealing with megacorporations. From Deterrence to Assurance to Proton Industries, there will always be a niche to be filled by a stealthy super in the right place. The unmatched information-gathering and infiltration potential of superhuman abilities makes many natural thieves, and nowhere will they find a better haul than by working for the SOS. Even fights between unaffiliated (rogue) supervillains and meddling heroes can be leveraged for financial gain, from directing blasts to different buildings and betting on the stock market when a battle comes to the Financial District of whatever unlucky city plays host to the latest threat of the month. Dedicated infiltrators make up the ranks of the SOS' corporate influence division. Frequently equipped with either tools or a suite of powers to aid in breaching secure locations undetected, they are among the most coveted members of the organization. Frequently pursued for their talents, they use their membership to gain access to job opportunities most would never come in touch with. Meanwhile, within the organization, The Boss continually monitors political and economic trends, maximizing the organization's income and ensuring their profitability always stays in the green.
Bribery and blackmail are services the organization is willing to provide. For the low cost of compliance, a secret will remain a secret; likewise, loyalty may be exchanged for the promise of a simple sum. Good business is preferable to mortal combat. An eye for an eye will leave the world blind; money for silence creates opportunities for growth.
Weapons trade.
Strict weapon import-export rules out of Millennium City make it one of the only sources of advanced weapons manufacturing in the world. From high-powered lasguns to one-shot freeze rays, the SOS has been shipping these advanced weapons out of M.C. for nearly as long as it's been around. Business is good - everyone wants a way to defend themselves from mutants, and what good is the First Amendment really if you're not allowed to have a nuclear-powered pistol? With what feels like half the threats to peace worldwide boasting bulletproof skin as a default power, it's no wonder that tightly-regulated laser weaponry is in high demand. The organization is happy to make such things available to all.
Investment.
Purchasing a ray gun isn't enough for some. Others want to go the extra mile and become super themselves. During the investment process, candidates are vetted to be set up as supervillains under the organization's command. These made men are put down the path of supervillainy by whatever means available to the group - powers instilled by experimental drug therapy, activated by exposure to anomalous artifacts thieved from government vaults, thrown into exotic particle accelerators, or leased suits of power-armor with which to simulate metahuman abilities. Whether for revenge, for honor, or for profit, these deals come with the price of loyalty to the organization. They are considered a walking investment - while they are given the gift of power, the SOS may one day call upon them for a favor, and they will be expected to fulfill it.
Meanwhile, aspiring super-crooks who already have their own powers may find themselves covertly supplied with improved gear, costumes, or even full battle plans for heists. The SOS' conditions apply, though: no civilians are to be targeted, and no heroes killed. As long as these golden rules are followed, then new supervillains may enjoy the privileges that come with doing business with the Society. If they are broken, however, retribution will be swift and uncompromising.
Identity Reconfiguration.
Prison is not the end of the line for supervillains. Someone with an SOS membership who abides by their rules will find themselves not serving time, but escaping into a new identity, outfitted with a new alias and costume supplied by the organization - in exchange for loyalty. Of course, making someone disappear without a trace is easier said than done. Arrangements have to be made to show where these people are. Prison breaks can be initiated, but do too many from the inside, and security will begin to tighten. Alternatives include faking a prisoner's death, or replacing them with a stand-in doppelganger prepared to sacrifice some of their own time for a greater reward later on. The SOS takes good care of its own. Prison is just another layer to the organization.
FACILITY X
Facility X: a name that inspires dread and awe alike, an engineering marvel built to incarcerate the most dangerous superhuman criminals alive.
Equidistant from New York City and Millennium City, the enormous man-made island is one of the most fortified in the world. The full structure extends deep into the seafloor below, tunneling past sand and rock into the Earth's crust. Facility X was created as the alternative to conventional incarceration, the regular prisons of the United States woefully inadequate for holding men, women, and extraterrestrials with powers enabling them to escape ordinary bonds. Inmates are confined according to a variety of broad standards, each reflecting the threat they pose to society and to one another. A variety of interlocking floors and ceilings make the labyrinthine prison a world in itself, one with its own hierarchies and rules to discover.The maximum-security penitentiary is designed to keep metas both in and out. Sentry turrets line every wall and floor, guided through a decentralized network to render it immune to mass shutdown. Anti-aircraft guns provide complete aerial denial, and the only way to access the facility is by airship. Armed "meta-buster" patrols prevent intrusion and escape, all under the watchful eye of the Warden, the famous Red White and Blue Man.
Facility X is the cornerstone of the SOS' hold on the criminal underworld. The Boss approached the Warden with a simple notion - the best way to control what goes on inside the prison is to control what goes on outside of it. Rather than deal with continual superhuman breakouts and mass murders, the Red White and Blue Man agreed to convert his maximum security penitentiary into the SOS' base of operations. When a villain is sentenced to time there, if they are a member of the secret organization, they simply recuperate in the upper levels, free to roam the compound, rather than waste away in the lower level. Whether they're set up with a new identity or encouraged to recover among the team, they are safe from incursions from the outside.
After all, if sending a villain to prison is the same as sending them home, what's a true blue superhero to do?
THE REGIME
The command structure of the SOS is simple. Mettle sits at the top, undisputed in his authority. He doesn't plan on retiring or being killed anytime soon, and there are contingency plans in place if he should be indisposed, though their contents are a secret, save to his underbosses. The Human Flood II serves as one of the group's second-in-commands along with the Tarantula. Each represent a different philosophy - the Flood is a fighter, a war capo, whereas the Tarantula has a mind for diplomacy and subtle negotiation. Each are valued advisors and friends to Mettle. Beneath them are enforcers like Shockman and the Evil Eye. If one earns the Boss' trust, and if they are fully inducted into the organization, they may be permitted to start their own caporegimes, each with their own soldiers and associates. SOS members who are not part of the Mettle Family are simply referred to as associates.
Superheroes who oppose the SOS are referred to as blues.
Supervillains without SOS membership are referred to as rogues.
Supervillains who violate the SOS' rules are referred to as reds.
The organization may be new, but its power and reach are well-represented within the criminal underworld. There is no shortage of rumor and influence, as the exploits of its Boss have reached proportions that can almost be called Biblical. With a woman marked Anti-Christ on his arm and the terrifyingly powerful Daystar seemingly in his inner circle, the organization is equal parts enticing and intimidating. Capable of striking at anywhere within a moment's notice, and hungrily extending its grip throughout New York and into Millennium City, the SOS is for villains what its namesake was for heroes -
- a united front charting a new status quo.
Are you with them, or against them? Will you choose diplomacy, or the sword? Good, evil, or something more?
"You would be wise to join our family."