the Direct Action Americans

The following is an excerpt of an interview Agent Deathmonger recorded, one in which he confronted a close friend from the past, one Director Red, about the existence of the Direct Action Americans. While Agent Deathmonger is usually remarkably thorough in his work, it should be noted that his... intimate... past with Director Red may have caused him to miss an important question or two - Mike 013.

"Long time no see, Randi."

"Same here, Michael."

(the distinct sounds of a bottle of wine being uncorked)

"Yeah, it's been about six years, I imagine, since I left the Bureau. I understand that you're still with them, though that must be tricky considering your... current affiliations..."

"What ever do you mean?"

"Please, Randi, we both know you're not only a Direct Action American, but you're one of the group's founders!"

"Oh Michael, that's as likely as you being a paranormal investigator for a cross-time consortium."

"..."

(sound of wine being poured into two glasses)

"Besides, were I to know of the existence of a crack squad of flag-waving vigilantes like the D.A.A., I would be duty bound to sic my fellow federal agents on them. You and I are both well aware that Uncle Sam frowns on vigilantes these days, and cracking a militia like that would be quite a feather in my cap."

"True. But you cannot deny that there is an increasing wave of organized violence taking place both here and around the world, usually perpetrated by people wearing the flag's colors."

"That's right, Michael. The F.B.I. and the C.I.A. are both looking into the matter as we speak."

"I assumed as much. That's why I came to you, Randi - I need to know what these guys are up to, and whether or not I should be worried about 'em."

"Only if you tell me why. And not why you care about this ficticious D.A.A. group, but why you want to know? Why do you do the things you do for your friend Mike Jensen."

"I see you've done your homework. But fine, I'm with Jensen because I grew up wanting to protect the ordinary man from criminals, and the government wouldn't let me do that. You know my story, I tried to bust a bad Senator and I got nothing but grief for it despite my excellent service record.

"That's why I work with Agency 13, Randi. Because there's weird stuff going on that the government can't - or won't - deal with on its own. Heck, half of this stuff owns the government these days!"

"If that's how you truly feel, then you know why these vigilantes are at large, Michael. From what I have 'learned', they simply work to protect America from threats that it cannot handle itself. The rest of the world can keep its aliens and demons and whatever, but we fight to protect our own."

"'We'?"

"Oh, did I say that? 'Whoops'. The point is that this group you're looking into, if it is in fact an organization calling itself the Direct Action Americans, is no threat to the American people. Now, I'm sure it's a threat to anyone who threatens the United States... then, I'm sure the kid gloves would be off.

"The only thing normal Americans would have to worry about from such a group would be the collateral damage caused by their battles with all manner of weirdos out to take over the country, but those would probably kept to a minimum, to avoid being noticed by the feds or the like."

"I see. And, according to what the government knows, just how many people are involved with this group?"

"Oh, not that many, Michael. My best guess is that there are maybe one hundred of these people active right now, but since they seem to recruit folks on an individual basis, going for a combination of skill, experience, and of course patriotic drive, their pool of potential recruits is somewhat small.

"The kind of people they look for are just like yourself, actually. Former military man turned F.B.I. agent turned Man of Adventure... I bet a man like yourself could go a long way in a group like this ficticious 'D.A.A.' He'd probably be made one of the directors, I imagine, though they're out of colors right now."

"I imagine."

(sound of wine being poured into two glasses again)

"So think about it, should you get tired of working with those goofy Agency 13 people, Michael. I'm sure that's the kind of work you do anyway. And I'm sure nobody would really argue if you were 'caught' killing ferocious demons or mushroom aliens or whatever else is lurking out there.

"Not that that sort of thing would ever grace the six o'clock news..."

"Yeah."

"Anyway, let's talk about something else, Michael. You know, you, me, the rest of this bottle of wine. Turn of that silly tape recorder and c'mere..."

"Well, all right..."

(various sounds you wouldn't have heard if Agent Deathmonger had indeed turned his recorder off...)

Listed below are detailed files on several currently active Direct Action Americans the Agency has become aware of, as well as at least one of their members who has 'gone bad'. Thanks to Chase's follow-up, I've also added a basic description of your standard D.A.A. operative, including what gear he or she will carry, and the skills that such a patriotic vigilante warrior is generally known to possess - Mike 013.

the Direct Action Americans' Leaders:

Director Red: after drug dealers killed her husband and then got off on a technicality, Randi Cole decided the law wasn't doing its job. To help it out, this former Marine Corporal and current F.B.I. agent, and bearer of two PhDs, helped form the D.A.A.! Availability:

Director White: a former helicopter pilot in the Marines, the Colonel was 'encouraged' to retire after an odd incident involving a rogue psi, and has dedicated himself to eradicating the threat paranormals pose to the United States from that day forward! Availability:

Director Blue: becoming a lawyer to protect the innocent and punish the guilty, Mia Ottos was given a Reality Check ™ once she passed the Bar. Quickly disenfranchised, she dropped out of sight for ten years, returning to society as a force of equality! Availability:

Known Direct Action Americans:

Bruno: both an ardent patriot and a fan of really big explosions, Bruno Werner turned out to be a perfect recruit for the D.A.A. - even if he managed to get himself on the F.B.I.'s Most Wanted list shortly after being put to use by those vigilantes...! Availability:

Jinx: young Natasha Huston was forever altered after being exposed to unknown energies during a freak lab accident. Ever since, people around her suffer one horrible accident after another, a trait she uses to her advantage as a vigilante crusader! Availability:

Kansas Bob: a long-time military man, Bob quit the Army for various reasons, and became an occult adventurer thanks to a strange twist of fate that cursed him to be forever beset by the bizarre. A true patriot, this made him an excellent D.A.A. recruit! Availability:

the Misdirector: Errando Vasquez is a former soldier and private eye who has the curious ability to be in multiple locations at once. This makes for one heck of a spy, one which the Direct Action Americans snapped up as soon as they learned about him! Availability:

Six-fingered Tommy: an apparent mutant since birth, Tommy had been treated badly by his peers in school. Later, Tommy's peers became his fellow D.A.A. vigilantes, who not only don't beat him up for being different, but appreciate his uniqueness! Availability:

Time Out: Janet Claymore was an incredibly bored young woman - until she manifested a natural ability to tranquilize everyone around her. After being subsequently recruited by two separate vigilante organization, she's since made up for her lack of excitement! Availability:

Direct Action Americans (Typical): while most D.A.A. operatives are in fact fiercely individual, they nonetheless share a couple of common characteristics. Save for those with ascendant powers, most Direct Action Americans follow this mold. Availability:

Rogue Direct Action Americans:

Article II: recruited because he was a patriotic, hard-working, and most of all honest cop, Arthur Blaine Poindexter II became the D.A.A.'s worst nightmare when he decided he could do a much better job protecting Freedom than they ever could! Availability:

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