Project Northwoods (115 page)

BVH:
The Bureau of Villains and Heroes. Established in 1988 after the bombings and wide-scale violence made the population wary of both heroes and villains.

Death Sentence Trigger:
Upon activation of a device with this coding, nothing can stop the completion of its program. So named because weapons with this code will fire and presumably kill targets without additional human input.

Degen:
Slang term for villains. Short for ‘degenerate’. Originates as an epithet in the early 20
th
century.

Ear Bucket:
A place to store trophies from your many, many victims. You know. An ear bucket.

Golden Age:
The era before 1965 when heroes and villains were in constant battles for control with no governmental effort to rein them in.

Hero/Heroine:
A member of society dedicated to preserving order. Similar to police officers, but with garish costumes and a different sense of community. Heroes comprise approximately 3.25% of the world’s population.

High Consul:
Appointed position within the Heroes’ Guild. Established to ensure legislation would be guided with ‘appropriate’ pro-hero language.

Irredeemable:
A hero or villain who has no regard for order or chaos and seeks to annihilate as much as possible. Anyone determined to be Irredeemable has an irrevocable death sentence on their head.

Late-Bloomer:
A Bestowed human whose gene doesn’t ‘turn on’ until later in life, usually in their early teens to twenties. This is usually considered a handicap, as a late bloomer’s ability appears without context or situational understanding. Someone with access to their ability since birth has more opportunity to adapt to it as an extension of their body.

Neutral:
A member of the population (including police officers, firefighters, and civilians), who is in no direct alignment with either heroes or villains. They constitute roughly 95% of the world’s population, and can range from upstanding citizens to criminal elements.

Protective Clauses:
Legislation mandated by the BVH which guarantees a villain’s right to not be murdered and their right to be heard in the legislative process. Other notable provisions include confidentiality for non-villain family members and extensions of the 1988 Armistice. As with most laws, they are difficult, but not impossible, to circumvent.

Rogue:
A villain who grievously breaches protocol, usually in a dangerous or violent way, will be classified as rogue. This makes their capture or suppression a top priority of both heroes and villains, and a shoot-to-kill order is authorized. Villains, as a whole, are less likely to harbor a rogue element than a hero is to hide a vigilante. However, villains tend to be willing to use extreme force to subdue a rogue.

SERAPHIM:
Heroic PMC (Private Military Contractor) which operates in numerous wars all over the world. Comprised predominantly of Tier One Bestowed with the exception of the commanders, who are all Tier Three.

Silver Age:
The time period between 1965 and 1988. Best known for the institutionalization of heroes into the government.

Super Hero/Villain:
A hero or villain (usually Bestowed, but not always) who is determined to be above and beyond all others. For instance, Arbiter is a super hero while Zealot is typically referred to as ‘just’ a hero.

SVAC:
The Super Villain Authorization Committee is one of several ways to be classified as a villain, but the only way to be classified as a super villain right out of the gate. This specific licensing process provides government funding for whatever activities are passed by the board.

Teuton:
This timeline’s version of Hitler attempted to connect Germany to the great warriors of the past who occupied the ancestral area of the Reich. The legendary bravery of the tribe, even in the wake of defeat, gave the Fuhrer a message of Germanic Race Exceptionalism, which, until his rise, was a concept which was alien to the Northwoods universe. Nationalism typically trumped any idea of racism. After all, if someone of a different color could make your brain explode with their mind, it’s a hard argument to make that they’re genetically inferior to you, but you were still free to believe their country of origin sucked. In any case, Hitler and his spiritual successors of Apartheid South Africa begged to differ.

Tier:
A classification for Bestowed. Tier Ones (the largest group, making up ~70% of the Bestowed populace) have abilities which are mildly situationally useful, such as Ariana’s ability to convert water into coffee. Tier Two Bestowed (~23%) are relatively weak and typically non-lethal, but more consistently reliable for hero/villain purposes, such as Jack Cleese before the invention of jet engine aircraft. Tier Three (~5%) have exceptional command of their ability and, if applied, can be consistently lethal. The three commanders of SERAPHIM hold this position. Tier Four Bestowed (~1.99%) have completely mastered their ability or have powers which, unless sufficiently reined in, are always lethal. Arbiter is the best example of a Tier Four Bestowed. At Tier Five, or Deity Class, a Bestowed has no parallel. Although not invincible, their skill typically places them beyond the capacity of most dangers. Zombress is the only recognized Tier Five on the North Eastern seaboard.

University:
The liberal arts college for heroes and villains. They offer a wider range of subjects than the academy, focusing more on theoretical approaches, history, literature, philosophy, science, and math. Any villain or hero with a less physical approach (or wealthy parents) is pushed to attend this rather than the academy, although physical fitness and routine Bestowed workshops try to keep the students competitive. Although technically a four-year institution, the time to graduate can vary widely depending on the program and dedication of the individual student.

Vigilante:
A hero who breaks standard protocol, usually in an aggressively violent or visible manner. A hero who has gone ‘vigilante’ is viewed as a public threat and both heroes and villains are called upon to do their civic duty to suppress or capture the offender. Although a shoot-to-kill order is authorized, heroes are less likely to attempt to kill a vigilante.

Villain/Villainess:
Someone who holds allegiance to the more chaotic elements of society. Traditionally viewed as criminals, villains are usually better at breaking the law and are more consistent menaces than petty thugs. They comprise approximately 1.75% of the global population.

VWN:
Shorthand for Villain World News, this cable news network caters to villains across the United States. Based in New York City (the self-proclaimed center of Bestowed culture and political life), the station is owned by Solomon Houston and has Talia Illyanovich as its star reporter.

I have a network of people who I routinely rope into helping me with projects. I would be remiss if I did not thank my unwitting test subjects, especially my parents and others I convinced to be early readers. Amy, my editor, was instrumental in patching up some holes, and the work of Leah, Stephanie “Spike” Drewa, and Kim gave me some very nice artwork to dot the book with. Cory also lent a hand with some visuals that you can find on my website. Naturally, I have to thank my wonderful team at Booktrope for their support and expertise.

Then there’s Ashlie, who once told me that the world needed hack authors just as much as it needed doctors. Basically, what I’m saying is she’s partly responsible for this, so send your hate mail to her.

And of course, there’s you, gentle reader. Taking a chance on an untested author is both a financial and temporal commitment that I certainly understand. For giving me such a chance, you have earned my gratitude.

Jonathan Charles Bruce began writing terrible fiction when he was four. Although the original manuscripts are lost (or perhaps destroyed), we can rest assured that his prose has improved significantly since then.

He has a Master's Degree in history and enjoys dissecting the pop culture of the 20
th
century and reading books of a non-historical nature. He maintains a presence on the Internet at his imaginatively titled website,
jonathancharlesbruce.com
. He also provides work for Twenty Four Pages a Second, a pretty keen website you should totally check out.