The Domino Club

The Domino Club **** near Golden Gate Park is the first and oldest ‘neutral ground’ nightclub for the costumed set. Owned by the mysterious woman known as Envoy, the Domino Club offers private dining facilities, buffet nights, three dance floors, a bar said to contain every single intoxicating substance in the Orion Arm, and the infamous ‘Sidekick’s Lounge’ where the young up-and-comers come to party. Two floors of suites above the main floors offer safety, peace and quiet. It’s not common knowledge, but the club also offers infirmary facilities, as well as several other services. Envoy only has one firm rule: conflicts outside the club don’t exist inside the club. The club’s services as a negotiating base and safe haven have so far meant that her wishes have been respected.

Alcatraz

Alcatraz is the oldest and largest ‘Super-Max’ prison in the US, meaning that it has the capability to hold metahuman prisoners with exotic powers.  There are two sections to the prison: the aboveground facilities, which include all the office and infrastructure support spaces, power generation, docks and gunship landing facilities. It operates as a joint US-UN paramilitary facility, held both by SIGMA and ATLAS. Metacriminals that are not deemed a flight risk are housed in a special section; they participate in work-release programs and otherwise enjoy the benefits of a ‘normal’ high-security facility. The infirmary is well-equipped to deal with metahuman medical needs.

The below-ground facilities are known as Lockdown and are maintained by ATLAS personnel, since many of the incarcerated are of multiple national origins, housed here at the request of their home nations (many of which do not have similar facilities). To say that this is a political hot potato would be a severe understatement. These facilities house the most dangerous criminals on Earth in power-nullification cells or in unique restraints.

Agencies

Several governmental agencies and private organizations have a great deal of interest in metahumans and superheroes.

SIGMA
Superhuman Incident General Management Agency
A division of the Defense Department. It deals with all metahuman threats to the safety and security of the United States and also maintains the two metahuman-capable confinement facilities in California and Louisiana.

ATLAS
Advanced Tactical Liaison to Allied States
The United Nations metahuman resource management council which recruits, trains and equips the UN ‘Superteam’ for use in UN rescue and military operations. By UN resolution, it is the only body officially allowed to field metahumans in a military capacity though most of the First World countries maintain some sort of metahuman ‘civilian’ cadre.

OTHR
Office of Trans-Human Resources
A division of the Justice Department concerned with crimes against metahumans, material and monetary aid to victims of metahuman crimes or abilities, and civil rights issues. It is often at odds with SIGMA.

MK-ULTRA
This was the secret branch of the CIA that experimented on metahumans in the early 1960’s, seeking to duplicate or disrupt their powers. It was officially shut down in 1975 by the Director of the CIA but rumors persist that it operates several ‘black’ research and development centers scattered throughout the world.

‘Section Six’
This was a rogue group of highly-placed military and intel personnel headed by J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover became concerned with the possibility that metahumans meant to supplant humanity and formed a task force to find ways to disable or kill them. Section Six broke from its government roots in 1972 when Hoover’s death threatened to expose them. It went underground and continued its goal to destroy all non-humans in the world.

SCI
Scientific Concepts International
A multinational think-tank that concentrates on pure science research; its home office is in Chicago but it maintains extensive facilities in most major American and European cities.

Ethan Black

Ethan Black is the soul of San Francisco, which gives him a set of amazing abilities and also restricts him in ways most other entities are not. He is a mystical anthropomorphication called a citysoul: he is the city and the city is him. He reflects the city to a great degree; this is why a few people such as Nightcry pay attention to him and keep his existance a secret, because a radical change in Ethan’s attitude or health usually indicates a major, city-wide emergency. It’s unclear exactly how much free will or independent thought Ethan actually has, as ‘he’ and the city influence each other.

He cannot leave the city limits for long without the city suffering to some degree. Previously it was thought that this or major injury was the only way for him to adversely affect the city, but in Issue #5, the Golden Gate Guardians found out that a sufficiently distracting influence can also have that effect, by taking Ethan’s attention away from the city.

Metahuman Bans

There are only three cities in the United States which ban all metahuman activity: Miami FL, New Orleans LA, and Las Vegas NV.

History of the Anti-Meta Laws

“It was one of the most masterful criminal conspiracies of our era. Politics, extortion, blackmail, super-powers: it had everything.”

– Bob Woodward “King of the Bay”, 2006