The Secret Protectors exists as a group in the style of such things as Mission: Impossible, Uncanny X-Force, or Secret Avengers, an extremely loose organization of agents who come together to fight against villainy. They are selected based on their powers or areas of expertise, and often follow a less rigid moral code than standard heroes. The group's missions are based more in a covert ops/ spy scenario, often dealing with threats others might not wish to deal with. It is not your standard super hero group in that The Secret Protectors are not an organized, official Super Group within Champions Online. In fact, most of its members are selected from the ranks of other groups on an as needed basis.

Like both The Protectors and The Progeny, The Secret Protectors are not actively seeking others to apply. Events will be posted on The Protectors' website or on CORP, and from there a team will be selected based on whom is a good fit for whatever particular story is being told. This is not a team that your standard 'Boy Scout' hero would be involved in. While power levels will depend upon the scenario, most adventures will be towards a more 'realistic' theme and be aimed for low to medium powered characters. The Secret Protectors are not a group of murderers or assassins, and these types of heroes will not be accepted into the fold. They may, however, realize that sometimes a life must be taken to preserve the greater good and understand that the world is not simply black and white.

The Secret Protectors will have its own sub-forum for events located in the Protectors of the World forums, which you can reach by clicking the banner below!

The Protectors of the World have pursued their mission of protecting the globe from any and all threats for the better part of five years. Its track record is exceptional, and under the leadership of Sparrowhawk, the Protectors have completed almost two-hundred successful missions around the world, and beyond. Her vision of a team that makes the world a safer place persists to this day, and stands as an example to other heroes, law enforcement, and the citizens of the world.

But Alex Harper has come to reassess her place in the world. Her brutal realism, her cutthroat tactics, and cloak and dagger approach to the profession sets her apart, even from those on her own team. The only question is: if not the Protectors of the World, then where?

The answer became what is now known as the Secret Protectors.

Sparrowhawk formed the original Protectors from "the best of the best". She wanted her team to be a pillar of the community, and thus built it from some of the best and brightest that superheroes could offer. To forge ahead, and establish a new vision that suited her approach to crimefighting, Sparrowhawk would have to be more discriminating in her recruitment.

Whereas the Protectors were always to be a public icon, her "Secret Protectors" are a covert group that tackles missions better left off the front page. They are agents from a wide variety of backgrounds, whom Sparrowhawk calls upon when their expertise suits a given operation. Alex possesses fewer scruples when handpicking her operatives. Some may be unsavory or unnerving to the average citizen. Some may be entirely unheard of. But all are competent in their own right, and willing to follow Sparrowhawk in making the hard choices where other heroes might hesitate.

The team is a loose affiliation of black ops super soldiers like Warhound and cunning vigilantes like Specter, Facade, or Watchman. The Secret Protectors also harbor the likes of civilized horrors like Inquisitor, classic but no less intimidating heroes like Artos, and even aliens like the Aorseni Marauder.

These disparate few have joined Sparrowhawk in her never-ending mission to make the world safer. Only this time, it will be without the press, without the ticker tape parades, and without the flashy exploits of the average tights-and-cape superhero. If they do their job right, justice will be swift and silent, and the history books will be none the wiser.

NEST is an underground bunker far below Millennium City. Connected by a labyrinth of tunnels that were originally an idea for the scrapped 1915 subway system for Detroit, the Nest has been designed for maximum privacy below the sprawling metropolis above as well as serving as a meeting hub for the agents of the Secret Protectors. The day to day operations and security are controlled by the AI system known as MOTHER, who also is in charge of the Protectors of the World's Barlowe Building base of operations. Installed within the bunker is a smaller version of the teleportation system known as PORTAL, which allows for quick continent to continent travel if it is required.

The Nest contains the following:

• Small Living Quarters/ Common Room. While by no means expansive, there is a living area that people may congregate in. It looks decidedly out of place from other areas of the Nest in that it is very modern and befitting a more civilian establishment. It contains modern furniture, an eighty inch television and a few other 'niceties' so that anyone off the clock can unwind or get away from it all. A small kitchenette is located on one end of the common room.

• Meeting/ Briefing Room. This area is where most of the business of the team is done. With walls mostly made of carved out stone, the Meeting Room is rather cold and eerie. A circular table sits in the middle of the room with a holographic display to present updates or presentations for any important mission information. On one end of the room is the main computer hub and monitoring system. The other end is a vast array of weaponry that can be used at the agents' discretion, both common and more esoteric. A few more high tech devices can be found within as well, culled from agencies such as VIPER or UNTIL.

• Dorms. Two rooms exist as a form of barracks with each one containing 4 bunks. Also within the rooms are lavatories, foot lockers and personal lockers along the walls.

• Crime/ Tech Lab. A small room with the most current and up to date forensic tech.

• Med Center. An area that serves to aid any that are injured in the line of duty or to monitor the health and well being of others. The Mother unit can direct specialized medical services in case of emergencies by way of a containment chamber.

• Hangar. A hangar that contains one slightly modified Valravn jet and three gravity bikes for use by the agents of the Secret Protectors. Also housed within the hangar are more weaponry, gadgets and explosives that may benefit the team during missions. The hangar's tunnel leads to a run down, decades empty warehouse with an automatic roof hatch.