"Timmy's Family Toy Company"!
I wonder if their current HQ is still on the exact same spot where Timmy I's original workshop & store was.
Realistically not though - the former would be in AB's "skyscraper-clad business district" quarter, while the latter rather was in AB's "quaint old-timey storefronts" quarter.
(We'd have to ask Prof for the actual names for these parts of his city. ;-) )
If this is leading up to the most obvious guess about what it is leading up to, would that make Bettina a puppet-CEO, or does she get lucky in surviving her 'benefactor' here? Never mind, that question is probably better answered in the work itself.
Gotta say, not stopping to assist distressed friendlies easily means leaving behind an awful lot of evidence--potentially corpses--about what happens on this mission. That strikes me as amazingly brazen unless she's got another team on standby for support and cleaning up the mess.
@ AC: Well, we can be sure that at least some portion of the team make it out of this. I count Ellen Greco, Bogeyman, and Hammerskol at the very least in the past couple of pages, and they were all around for the Siege (which, canonically, takes place later in the year).
Also, just because you do not stop to help the wounded during the op does not mean you leave corpses when all is said and done. You can always go back for them.
Also, I'mn sure this particular team can pull some "national security" nonsense to poke out eyes that look too close. After all, they do come equipped with their own MiBs (Wendell and company), and the setting here is rife with that sort. This is taking place on the mean streets of Autumn Bay, after all... :P
@ lirv: As loathesome as they are, it's nice to see this team keeping their eye on the ball and not launch a full-scale invasion...
I am working on a presentable version of the map (I have a couple of rough ones I have been working from, including the very first version of the map), but I can give you the names of the districts.
The "skyscraper-clad business district" is commonly called "downtown". :)
The other part really depends on how long ago they moved from the "quaint, old-timey storefront". More info, please. :)
Timmy I opened his shop... probably in the early to mid-1930s. (There is a specific reason for that timeframe, which may become clear soon over in Cryptida... ;-))
As for when they moved from the small store to larger facilities... That's a bit less determined. In any case, way before the 1970s. Let's say... somewhere in the 1950s?
I believe the best place to put the old storefront would be the small business section of Mason Hills (the neighborhood currently serving as home to The Unwanted, The NRK, The Furies, and the Cemetery Boys). It was once a very nice neighborhood, but fell into hard times in the 1980s.
Another possibility is the Elysium neighborhood, which is the artistic neighborhood. There are a lot of crafty and niche stores there, so it might fit the temperament of a craft-shop toymaker.
Looking forward to that map, whenever it gets released! :-D
Hmmm...
While the Elysium location sounds neat too, Mason Hill would add the following possibility:
Imagine ToyCo still being on paper the owner of the building. Imagine said building by now being derelict, abandoned and long forgotten by most - but it may still contain some well guarded family secrets...
@ anonymous coward: While I am not privy to lirv's exact plans, the possibility of Bettina ending up as "puppet-CEO" as net result of all this has crossed my mind too.
It's of relevance for me because of certain ideas for ToyCo-related storylines over in my own comic. If this puppet-thing were a factor that should be accounted for, it would be quite... interesting for said potential storylines...
@AC: there’s never been any question as to who dies at the end of this narrative—old boy and a bunch of cannon fodder.
@Prof: maps would be awesome.
@MR: I was going for a “full name from the incorporation documents” thing for the HQ lobby entrance: “Timothy Timmy’s Family Toy Company”. Let me know if that doesn’t work or if you want it changed.
@Prof
I got that sequence detail about three or more survivors, but I was thinking for the others that five minutes can be too long when someone's bleeding or choking a bit too much. It's probably optimistic to assume only a five minute window between the spearhead and the backup/cleanup/extraction team too, so this directive not to aid distressed friendlies could easily mean a bunch of extra KIAs. I guess that might be worth it if it makes the difference between achieving the main mission goal and not, but it's still dangerously bad for morale.
@MR
All else being equal, I like little details like that. Real life is complicated in similar ways quite often, and there's lots of potential for interesting stories to come of that kind of thing in fiction. (And in real life too.)
@lir
I understood that the first comic showing Bettina's company address as CEO is the epilogue. What I'm wondering about is who benefits. Even if I think Tona might be reckless enough to dream this up and do it all on her own authority, I have my doubts she would have. Her big, round, boss is well known to be among the greediest of pigs, for one.
@ AC: Oh, I agree completely. However, as a counterpoint, this team has been shown to be a wretched have of scum and villany, possibly more interested in the kill than the team.
That's kind of the problem with a team of badguys. Not to over-generalize, but that was seemingly the point of DoHS:MSV.
I guess it's a question of believable stupidity. I'd expect people to be able to rub two braincells together and see an order like that increasing the risk of casualties, as in the risk of themselves dying. Maybe they're all high on amphetamines and don't care?
@ AC: It's not my call to make, but I would argue that many of the assembled crew have sociopathic tendencies (or worse).
That being said, the collective good is ALWAYS good for he individual, especially in a team-based operation. I can't be sure o the wisdom of that particular order, either. Just throwing out possibilities.
(As a creator, it helps to try and explore alternate headspaces. Call this an attempt to do exactly that.)
Sociopathy does often come with increased impulsiveness and thrill-seeking behaviour, so perhaps that is it. Against that proposition, I'd expect people like that to be very picky about which hazards they were and were not willing to endure, and not so motivated by loyalty. From that, if it were sociopathy and alienation that made them disinterested in 'damage to the team' I would also expect a lot of desertion or other reluctance in taking risks.
Desertion could still happen, and probably would be easier to get a=way with during the mission.
@ AC: Fair assessments. Of course, on wonders how long before deserters are hunted down as "traitors", the elimination of which is very much the reason this team was created.
This is why I prefer the "lead through respect" school over the "lead through fear" school.
"Lead through momentum" is more like how it really works.
Now, obviously I'm being all ridiculous and edgy with MSV being hyperbolically cruel even to their own ranks (nobody says "shoot to kill", come on) but there is something to say that for a tactical operation relying on speed and surprise. An assault team wouldn't bog down because someone got a hair in their eye (or even a bullet in their face)... there'd be combat medics/reserves right on their six, mopping up the disabled enemy and triaging the wounded.
And Prof, I know we're bros and all, but fear is a legitimate leadership mechanism even if it shouldn't be the first one out of the tool box. Heck, I'm sure "...or I'll fire you" is implied with some of your uh less than diligent team-members, no?
I get that, "Fait accompli," can also lower casualties if you convince the other side they lost sooner, or just accomplish your objectives and leave sooner. It's a hell of a gamble to put all your chips on a quick win if you're not even sure what the other side has to put up against you though.
I've probably spent too much effort considering Tona's rationale for slaughter though: It has been well established that she has a touch of bloodlust, as well as difficult management above her to upset her emotions and judgment.
