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... They kidnap young variants and brainwash them into the cause.

 

 

Brazilian Liberation Front

The BLF is an international terrorist organization that stands out among others of their ilk through their aggressive use and recruitment of variant agents. They have been highly successful during the 1980's at locating and drawing in variants, which gives this otherwise insignificant group the raw power it needs to have a legitimate chance to attain its goals. Those goals include seizing control of one or more of the somewhat unstable governments of South America. (Remember that during the 1980's, most of South America was in financial and political turmoil--Brazil had an inflation rate of thousands of percent, and Peru was in a constant state of political unrest, just as two examples.) They draw their membership and support on a worldwide scale, both for political and social reasons.
    In its 'mission statements', the Brazilian Liberation Front is calling for South and Central America to take up its destiny apart from American Hegemony and European Patronage. They want the current weak government disbanded and replaced with a stronger, somewhat socialist governmental structure promising universal education and medical care, as well as nationalized capitalism, strong defense (through mandatory military service for several years), social order and fiscal stability. This is to be obtained through 'creative human/variant synergy', which will make use of super-human powers for the overall betterment of society rather than personal selfishness or the protection of entrenched interests. All of this sounds vaguely positive, even if it is the sort of cause that generates fits among the world governments.
    In practice, the BLF uses terrorist tactics of explosions, hostages and threats in South/Central America (to destabilize their opposition) and internationally (to draw attention to their cause and to instill fear in those who would try to stop them). They steal money and equipment to fund the war, either though direct theft, kidnapping, extortion or smuggling all across the globe. Finally, and most damning, they kidnap young variants and brainwash them into the cause. Some have joined freely based on their political ideology, but many of the BLF variants are young adults stolen from around the world and twisted into weapons for this terrorist cabal.
    No one knows the true leadership of the BLF, whether it's one person or a cabal, human or variant, or even if the cells are acting autonomously. BLF members are fanatically devoted to their cause, and the organization has something of a cult feeling to it. Intercepted communications have them referring to one another as Brothers and Fathers, but captured members of the organization will not clarify the group's structure, even under telepathic probes. This leads many to believe that the BLF leadership includes at least one mentalist capable of inserting such blocks and artificially instilling such loyalty.
    While the BLF has hundreds, if not thousands of purely human members who are well equipped and devoted to the cause, the most visible members of the Front are the older variants. The original core team of the early 1980's evolves into field leaders for younger variants. The ones following are the most commonly seen BLF variants over the last decade, and most have had several encounters with national variant teams like the Host or Ground Zero.

Argon
This young women seems perpetually unsure of herself, but that does not keep her from being an effective field agent or even a strike team leader if the situation calls for it. Her variance focuses around the transformation of objects into inert gases. She can use this on herself at will, becoming a floating, nearly invisible cloud that can ignore almost any attack. She can also change inanimate objects into argon with a touch, even while in a cloud state herself. Those trapped within her cloud state usually rapidly lose consciousness from asphyxiation. This makes her a very dangerous young woman.

Spirit of the Cat
The most tactically savvy of the front rank of the BLF, Spirit of the Cat is an African woman with some form of mystical-based variance that not only increases her senses and reaction tine, but also lets her assume an intangible form that can move at super-human speed across ley-lines. She can be a cold-blooded opponent, and is well versed with using her powers of intangibility in combat, phasing just her hands or weapons into existence to strike at foes. There is a long-standing rivalry between Spirit of the Cat and Rashiel of the Host, as their close combat skills are nearly equal.

Hammer
An Afghan man, Hammer has abilities remarkably similar to the Red Seven member of the same name--focused psychokinesis for limited flight and devastating energy blasts. It is not known whether there is an actual connection between the two men, but given the USSR's continued occupation of Afghanistan some sort of connection is possible. Hammer's power blasts are ranked at high Gamma scale, and he can casually destroy tanks. Despite that, he enjoys subtlety, and can be very stealthy when the situation calls for it.

Cybron
Born into the worst of the Troubles, Cybron is a former member of the IRA who was seriously injured in the strikes and counter-strikes of that long conflict. When conventional medicine could do nothing for him, he followed rumors to an enclave in Brazil that maintained the Technical Man (see Stryker's Rogues Gallery) and was cybernetically restored and enhanced. Shortly after that he joined with the BLF, apparently against the wishes of his fascist benefactors. Cybron is a skilled boxer and superhumanly strong and durable, with an electronic sensory suite that includes sonar systems.

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Copyright © 2000 Brian Rogers