[NoSuchThing]

The Hero Program

The Hero Program was unveiled shortly after the Grand Central disaster, intended as a fully fledged, government funded and controlled response to the wave of super powered crime that had swept America after 'The Event'. It had been in development since Metahumans had first emerged into the spotlight, and was rushed into the public eye in response to the events in New York City.

Though the Program is still relatively small, it makes up for it with extremely powerful metahumans and some of the best technology and support the Federal government can provide. They are keyed in to all police and emergency service channels in their city, as well as being on call for national emergencies. They can deal with normal crime, but are more frequently called in for metahuman situations.

Initially there were plans for purpose built headquarters in every city, though this was clearly too ambitious. As it is, not every city officially has a Hero in residence, though major cities will often have several. Those cities without Heroes are served by those nearby, or by others transported in from greater distances.

Hero identities are protected by the program, with the publishing of a Hero's identity being a federal offence. This has resulted in Hero identities being trademarkable, and many heroes can supplement their government salary with public appearances and licensing their appearance and names to products.

It must be noted that Heroes are entirely a federal program, they have no jurisdiction in other countries. There are rumours that the government has acquired a number of metahumans that are employed in classified operations, but there is no evidence for such conclusions.

The Families

All metahumans before the Event were a member of the Families in some way. Though it is far from the Illuminati society that conspiracy theorists would have you believe exist in the shadows, people with powers would not have existed in hiding for so long without some form of organisation ensuring that they remained so.

Though metahumans are now common knowledge, the Families still operate mainly in the shadows, one single event unable to break the habits of centuries. They are insular, and the more integrated members still have little interest in helping outsiders. This can lead to friction, as the Families are still the foremost source and experts on metahumans and the phenomena associated with them.

Such organisation as can be found in the Families is limited, they have no real ranks, and certainly no military forces to speak of, while their resources and funding are provided by individual members as opposed to any sort of centralised treasury.

There is however, some form of centralised leadership and they operate under a degree of confederation. Known as the Council, this group of metahumans are generally regarded as the most respected members of the Families. Officially they have no real power, acting as guides rather than leaders, but to ignore them is to court disaster.

Each member of the Council is responsible for a different region of the world, and each possesses their own influences and resources in those locations. Some possess vast criminal empires, others have connections at the highest levels of government. There are as many politics within the Council as within any organisation, with different factions each with their own beliefs and agenda.

The Spades

Graffiti splayed on skyscraper billboards, banners hanging from cranes and pinned to train cars... The plain, black symbol has shown its head more and more in the public eye since The Event. For years, the Spades have sat on the metaphorical throne of the West Coast's economy, government, and crime. Now, word of the once-always-secretive empire has spread as an urban myth and would-be savior to some who cry out for those with the ability to overthrow and rule to do so.

Some lower-ranked Spades or Spade impostors who often decorate their skin or clothing with the symbol are becoming more confident with their publicity and actions - though they have little to no connection with the powerful empire's actual inner-workings. Lead by the mysteriously unknown "Queen of Spades", the empire has become more than the behind-the-scenes powerhouse that it was: an evolutionary, revolutionary movement.

RISE

RISE is a small, tight-knit organization with a handful of supers and a seemingly endless supply of normal humans and money to throw at any problem. Their goals are unknown, as is their reach, but they have been known to operate throughout the country, and in territories owned by many major powers and players.

Their actions are generally violent, without regard for human life including those who work for them. They seem to be after children who display abilities, but without rhyme or reason.