The Directorate
'History
The Directorate is a small group of men that have left Strike Team Zulu in order to continue their relentless pursuit of VIPER and ARGENT no matter the cost.
In it's time, Strike Team Zulu had grown to be a serious threat to VIPER and ARGENT and The Count believed it was now only a matter time till they were crushed. Halon's change in leadership style, his desire to build a world wide organization for that purpose, was everything the Count could have hoped for. Then Captain Arcane joined the team and things began to change. Plans began to be put on hold. Troops were not recruited in a timely manner. Weapon projects were delayed or abandoned. The Count could see that Halon was losing his resolve. Then the STZ was recruited to oppose a great evil in another dimension, Multifaria. All the members of the team were shaken by the experience but none more so than Halon. As leader of the team, he decided to halt the course of they were on, one that would lead to a dark place for all of them. Everyone, the Count included, agreed some time was needed to regroup but it was clear that the momentum was lost.
The Count began to make plans of his own. He predicted one of two things would happen. Either Halon would step down or even quit the team, or he would insist on a significant reduction in their campaign against their hated foes, which would be a mistake. The Count began quietly polling members of the team, seeing who was still committed to the war and who would capitulate. He also began seeking his own recruits to replace key people if the time came. He had no confidence in any of the core members. Even his friend Heron didn't seem inclined to continue the fight. Finally the day came. Faced with the opportunity to kill a significant foe from ARGENT, Halon backed down. There would be no more war. In the meeting that followed, the Count argued vehemently against the end of the campaign, even though he knew was was likely futile. In the end he realized that it was time for him to go. "You will rue this day." Were his final words to them. He didn't mean it as a threat, these men were still his friends no matter what, it was a statement of prophecy.
It was hard to leave. The moon base provided by Zoar had been a huge advantage for the team, it would be difficult to replace. He made a short announcement about his departure and was gratified to see nearly all the troopers, and several of the newest heroes, were prepared to leave with him. He and his followers were beamed down to the American southwest, though not at the coordinates of his new secret base, and he sent the signal summoning his new key personnel. At this point the Count decided that it was again time to change his identity in order to confound his enemies and former allies as well. As far they were concerned, Count Ubiquitous would simply disappear. In his place appeared a leader that was simply known as The Director. His organization, which would embody a life of order, duty and conviction would be known as The Directorate.
The Director was able to count 7 new super powered soldiers among his inner circle. Rider Theta had joined him in leaving the STZ. His chief scientist and inventor was the notorious Axon Daedalus. Utterly brilliant and equally ruthless. The Director didn't share Halon's aversion to magic and had accepted an ex-VIPER Serpent Mage bent on eradicating his former masters, known as Skorpios. Not being in a position to overlook any resource, the Director also recruited several aliens that joined him for their own reasons, the enigmatic Xevious and the shapeshifter, Jygangicon. Also from space, the newly returned Gryphon, possessed of nearly god like powers. Finally, The Director's old friend Sir Oswynn the lost knight and their current host.
