Absolute Impunity
The FCA has managed to exist for the short decade it has largely due to its possession of the
Impunity Iris— an anomalous amulet that produces physical documentation, alibis, or distractions that allow the wearer and their allies to do as they wish without legal ramifications. Utilizing this power, the Iris has allowed them to gain access to places ordinary folk normally cannot— such as various government and ACF facilities.
Grudges
Xiulan
A former ACF researcher, she shares her body with the spirit of a former empress, whose tomb was desecrated by Xiulan's field team. As it turned out, Xiulan was a descendant of the empress, making her body inhabitable to the angered spirit. Only after the ensuing massacre and escape in which control of her body was taken from her, was she convinced of the ACF's wrongdoings.
Jill
Her grandfather Paul was taken when she was young, and kept in containment. Not that that concerned her— the foundation had decided not to take his giant blue ox with him, due to its size, and opted to ship the pair separately— despite the man's warnings. The ox trampled over Jill's hometown before the foundation came back to contain it.
Whisper
Nobody knows their deal, they never speak— so it must have been bad.
Oscar
His family ranch was unknowingly built over antediluvian ruins— and when an ACF field team came by and requested the family's permission to investigate the area, they obliged.
Unfortunately, the field team accidentally activated the ruins below— which roared to life and shot into space, with the family home still on top, Oscar's grandmother still inside.
Would ya' knock off that racket? I'm trying to watch TV in here! — Abuelita's last known words
Bighand
His father is still in captivity, somewhere. He hasn't seen him in years.
Structure & Operations
Xiulan is the unofficial leader of the FCA, seeing that she was directly involved with the ACF beforehand, and the spirit within her has considerable leadership expertise— allowing the group to look to her for guidance and plans when needed. However, it is not her, but Oscar who typically dons the Impunity Iris— as it was found in the cavity left by his wayward home.
Oscar is also the most convincing actor of the group, and is usually the first to waltz into restricted areas. Jill has considerable experience in hunting and tracking— thanks to time spent with her grandfather— as well as survival skills, which come in handy whenever the group finds themselves in the wilderness for extended periods of time. Whisper possesses uncanny hacking abilities— and is typically tasked with finding new anomalies to free, and breaching ACF security systems in order to free them. They also occasionally send taunting messages to the ACF on the FCA's behalf. Bighand is the muscle— as one cannot expect every job to go flawlessly. He is also a skilled baker, and often bakes snacks and celebratory cakes for the group.
The FCA headquarters lies within the basement of Jill's family home, which was built by Paul himself decades ago. Due to its inconspicuous and isolated nature, and an indecipherable paper trail, this has allowed the group— and a few anomalies also kept in the basement— to remain safe from the ACF.
Previous operations
Escaping Houdini
It turned out that Harry Houndini was, in fact, inhuman— he was a creature that fed off the emotion of excitement and awe, and if humans were repeatedly exposed to him, they would eventually be completely unable to feel those emotions. On top of this, he truly was able to escape anything— and so, the ACF had contained him the only way they could— in a maze of locks. The facility that contained him would cycle through various, randomized locks and barriers on an hourly basis— ensuring that new barriers appeared faster than Harry could get past them.
The FCA believed this to be inhumane, and once they had learned of Houndini's situation— they set out to free him. Houdini was kept within a foundation-owned Detroit warehouse, which the group were easily able to enter by producing from the Iris a written letter from the site director. Once inside, Whisper halted the creation of new locks within Houndini's cell, and Bighand tore the outside door off of its hinges. Upon exiting, the group were spotted, and pursued— until the Iris produced a document of anomaly transfer— leaving the security personnel confused and frustrated. It is unknown where Houndini resides now, but he is certainly free from ACF clutches.
An ongoing pursuit
If the FCA were to have an end goal— it would be freeing Bighand's father.
Unbeknownst to them— Bigfoot had murdered the father of the ACF's administrator—
Bin Folks— years ago, and his containment has become a sort of revenge for this.
As a result, the containment facility is a particularly well-kept secret—and years of searching have only provided vague hints for the FCA.
The painted world
Sometimes, the FCA must free an anomaly
before it is contained by the ACF— such was the case with the relatively unknown painting,
Utopia by Mincent Truckstop. The painting itself depicted a standard fast food menu— with one notable alteration. In the bottom-left corner was a note, stating that "Mincent Truckstop eats free." The painting was, in truth, a gateway to an alternate reality— where at every restaurant (except the expensive ones, because Truckstop was a realistic dreamer) Mincent Truckstop could eat for free. Beyond that it was identical to the real world. This meant that the alternate reality
also included all of the world-threatening anomalies presently contained by the ACF— and could present an existential threat, should any of them join forces with their counterparts in our world.
The best way to contain such a thing was, simply, to destroy it— which would destroy the alternate universe alongside the painting itself. The FCA saw this as genocide— and quickly moved to acquire the painting before the foundation. Each pulled from the Iris a security ID for the Amsterdam museum that housed the painting, and blended in— waiting for their chance to grab the painting and run.
"Say, I don't recognize you, fella— what's your deal?"
"I just have really big hands."
— Bighand, undercover
Unfortunately, the group was discovered by security within minutes— something about there "not being any new hires" and "this guy is clearly not human." This prompted Bighand to spring into action, protecting the rest as they hurriedly grabbed the painting from its place upon the wall— and began to escort it to the back door. As they were pursued by police upon the city streets, the Iris expelled a new license plate— which they were able to place over their previous one after rounding a corner, allowing them to escape unharmed. Utopia now hangs proudly upon a wall of the FCA headquarters— as it does in the alternate universe. This has, effectively,
doubled the FCA's manpower— or it would, if each group would not call upon each other at the exact same times, for the exact same (often time-sensitive) matters.
There I go, talking to myself again. — Jill, conversing with her alternate self
Those men are no longer your slaves. — FCA
That's fine, really, they were getting expensive. They eat human flesh by the way, have fun feeding them.
— Bin Folks, Administrator
Bin— we need to...actually do something about them— they're going to endanger everyone with their vigilante attitude! — Angry Jim
Don't worry— I've got a plan. For tonight! Discogolf? — Bin Folks, Administrator
All of the members of the FCA sound so interesting. I think my favourite might be Bighand, though! :D The Iris sounds like an amazing item, too.
Glad you like them! They were fun to write, too!