"There was no long-term, and trying to cling to one would only spoil it all."
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Breakthrough, or Team Breakthrough,[2] is a group of parahumans from all walks of life.
Modus operandi
The team formed initially out of one of Dr. Yamada's therapy groups, as its members became closer; Chris stated that "the reason for this project is supposed to be we know each other".[3] They did not yet consider themselves a team early on, but rather in the process of forming one.[4] The team-up was proposed as continuation of the therapy group, which all six of members were attending at the moment.[5] Outside of meet-ups, they coordinated primarily via the Parahumans Online chat.
As a hero group, they determined that their approach would be going after villain teams, such as in Cedar Point, as information gatherers and scouts, using Kenzie's power to monitor the situation, while sending in their own members and members of other teams.[6] Victoria compared this approach to those of the Las Vegas Protectorate team and Watchdog.[7] Eventually, the team expanded its focus from just Cedar Point to a larger scale, cooperating with other hero teams in order to manage local crime throughout the City, as well as investigate the plots they had uncovered.[8]
Structure
Victoria was initially brought in by Dr. Yamada to act as the group's mentor, due to her experience with capes and cape teams; she scouted out possible locations for the team's first target, eventually choosing Hollow Point.[5] Victoria, Ashley, and Tristan eventually were established as the team's three leaders, each of whom had a different style and role.[1]
Members
| Name | Cape Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ashley Stillons | Swansong[9] | A former villain gaining her footing in the new world. |
| Chris Elman | Cryptid[10] | A secretive Changer who may be falling apart. |
| Kenzie Martin | Lookout[10]/Looksee | A young but terrifyingly powerful Tinker and former Ward. |
| Rain Frazier | Precipice[11] | A former member of The Fallen looking for safety. |
| Sveta Karelia | Tress[10] | A Case 53 parahuman trying to make up for her past. |
| Vera Twins | Capricorn | A Case 70 pair of twins sharing a body. |
| Victoria Dallon | Antares[10] | The group's mentor, with a troubled past of her own. |
History
Post-Gold Morning
Group session were initiated by Dr. Yamada somewhere around two months and a week before the story start, with one or two sessions a week.[5] Prior to the inaugural meeting, Dr. Yamada discussed goals and expectations with each patient individually; after the members introduced themselves and discussed their backgrounds, she prompted them to consider whether they wanted to change.[12] At some point, the group shared details like names and the fact that Ashley had not used a computer before.[3]
Glow-worm
As they got to know each other, the therapy group eventually decided to form a hero team together, discussing the matter on the newly set up Parahumans Online forum. Tristan (screen name Capricorn), Chris (Strange_Mammal), and Kenzie (Heart_Shaped_Pupil) were the first to join the chat. Ashley (Mangled_Wings) was then invited by Chris on August 19th after making her account.[3] However, she disconnected after he mentioned proof that she had lied about a minor detail.
The next day, Rain (of5) connected to the chat and discussed help with the PHO search function. Chris mentioned that he had video games to give him at the next meeting.[13]. Half of the group at that point seemed to be busy with research and scouring the network for information.
By August 22nd, Ashley had rejoined the group chat.[14] At August 24th, the final member, Sveta (screen name Kraken_in_a_Jar) joined the chat.[15]
Early-Ward
After failing to recruit Weld in time to talk to the group about super heroics[16] Dr. Yamada reached out to Victoria Dallon to assist with unforeseen group ambition.[5] Victoria attended one of the group's meetings, where she was introduced to its members and ultimately became the group's coach.[17]
Victoria decided that Hollow Point would be the team's first target, an area where several groups of villains were gathering and setting up.[18] The team decided on a strategy where they would collect information on the goings-on in the area, while putting pressure on the Hollow Point villains by inviting in other hero teams to interfere.[6] However, as their monitoring continued, they began to learn of an upcoming attack on a Fallen camp, involving many villains and threatening Rain, his family, and other innocents. To help manage the situation, the team uses their connections to bring in the Patrol Block, Advance Guard, and The Wardens, and participate in the assault on the Mathers camp.[19]
Post-Fallen Fall
Following the Mathers compound assault, Rain and Ashley turned themselves to the authorities; this, in addition to the disappearance of Dr. Yamada in a portal, fractured the team.[20] However, a new invention from Kenzie which could give them information about the portal situation kept the remaining members for another mission.[21]
At a meeting in Earth N, the group and its members were forced to pick names, settling on the name Breakthrough,[22] a favourite of Swansong.[22]
They convinced locals to assist in their investigation, saved a suspect, and got a new lead, which pointed to the prison as a potential site for future trouble.[23] With the Wardens mostly gone, Earth Cheit making its moves, and the portal situation still causing trouble, the team decided to change its approach, establishing a collaborative network between teams to better manage local crime, similar to how they approached Hollow Point but on a larger scale.[8] They began to organize teams to work together, both to address criminal activity and to investigate the conspiracy regarding the prison. These efforts were interrupted, however, by a PR crisis centered around Kenzie and her parents.[24]
Trivia
- At one point, Chris referred to the team as "Caramel Friendship," though this didn't last, as their real name was decided upon not much later.[25]
Fanart Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “I like it,” Ashley said. “The thing about the group that never made sense was the insistence that Capricorn was a leader.”
“Hey.”
“But,” she said. “We have three leaders. Different styles. Different focuses. It fits for a group that’s steering other teams to better places where the old didn’t fit us.” - Excerpt from Beacon 8.3 - ↑ Beacon 8.11
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Glow-worm P.3
- ↑ Heart_Shaped_Pupil: I’m looking at joining a team. Kind of. We’re still figuring a lot out. It’s exciting. they’re neat. - Glow-worm P.7
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Flare 2.5
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 “Yeah,” Tristan said. “Look, no rush, we do this slow and careful. We put you guys out there, Ashley and Chris can plant cameras, Kenzie handles backend, we gather all the data we can, and we find out what the masterminds are doing and where the organizations are most vulnerable.”
[...]
“Then we hit them,” Ashley said.
[...]
“Maybe,” Tristan said. “Maybe. We assess the situation, we maybe even spread disinformation, and then we have discussions, involving other cape teams, maybe. If it seems doable, we hit them. We have a lot going for us if we want to blitz the enemy or ruin a plan in progress. When it’s time to make our play, we can do big, we can hit hard, and we can move fast. If it doesn’t seem doable, we sell the info to another cape team.” - Excerpt from Glare 3.4 - ↑ “It reminds me of the Las Vegas capes,” I said. “And a bit of Watchdog.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Tristan asked.
Las Vegas had been damned effective, as had Watchdog. But where Las Vegas had been a subtle, careful player with a few questionable, mysterious individuals in their ranks making the most of their backgrounds and skills, much like this team in disposition and direction, they’d also been a team that had turned villain at a critical time. Watchdog had been careful and scrupulous, making measured moves with the best intel and agents they had at their disposal, and Watchdog hadn’t survived Gold Morning as an organization. - Excerpt from Glare 3.4 - ↑ 8.0 8.1 “I think so long as those issues exist, no matter what we do, there’ll be pushing, shoving, and trying to get people to take some cases or to get others for ourselves. If we can address those issues… say we all get a special allotment, we put funds into a pot and apportion it out, and we organize, with communication and sharing of information.”
“I can do the getting and sharing information parts,” Lookout said.
“And,” I said. “Keeping in mind this whole Cheit thing is demanding attention and resources while they’re doing other things in the background- it potentially addresses some of the other heroing issues we run into. Like how hard it can be to go run off and do something where we’re needed when things can be going to pieces on the home front.”
“Meaning we can go investigate this group that attacked the portals while still maintaining a territory,” Capricorn said.
“Or investigate whatever. Yes, for sure,” I said. “And then a week later, we might babysit another territory while simultaneously giving the team in charge there a new, fresh set of eyes for any ongoing problems, while they do their thing.”
[...]
“Nothing too special,” I said. “Except that people were already talking to us and communicating about collaborating. They wanted a chance at doing their part in Hollow Point. Let’s… I don’t know. We’d coordinate until things were coordinated. Let’s learn from our mistakes, and make every territory into a Hollow Point. Make it so the bad guys don’t know who’s going to show up on a given day. And because we have other focuses and bigger priorities, we offer leniency if they help us with the things that matter.” - Excerpt from Beacon 8.2 - ↑ “I was thinking of a name to do with swans,” Ashley said, as I clicked.
“An awful lot of the bird names are taken,” I said. “It was a trend once. What were you considering?”
“Swansong,” she said. “If I go with the white costume.” - Excerpt from Shadow 5.1 - ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Torch 7.8
- ↑ Kenzie audibly scoffed. “At eight o’clock at night? When stuff is happening? No. Don’t be silly. Listen, I’ve got the others in on conference, Swansong and… we really need that one last code name.”
“Don’t even ask,” Rain said. “The names I’m feeling are closest to right right now are terrible. For now, if you need to call me something, use Precipice.” - Excerpt from Beacon 8.6 - ↑ “Our inaugural session is winding down,” Jessica said. “I’ve talked to each of you about goals. We outlined some goals and expectations before and after you decided to try this group. It would be good to think about where you stand on that.”
[...]
“When we discuss goals,” Jessica said. “We think about change. What do we need or want to change? Very commonly, in my experience, it’s something we raise during first sessions or something we leave as homework. Let me build on that, though. Change. Do you want to change?” - Excerpt from Eclipse x.2 - ↑ Glow-worm P.4
- ↑ Glow-worm P.6
- ↑ Glow-worm P.8
- ↑ “When Jessica- When Mrs. Yamada asked me to sit in with the group and help out. She asked Weld first, didn’t she?”
“Ah, you caught that,” Sveta said. The smile disappeared. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure if you did, and I didn’t want to risk hurting your feelings.”
“Was I second choice?” I asked.
“I don’t think so. Sorry, I don’t know for sure, but Weld was asked and he said no, but he said he’d be free a little while after. She could have waited and had Weld sit in, but she chose you.”
“And she seemed okay, almost relieved, at me doing this,” I said.
“As okay as she is with any of this,” Sveta said. - Excerpt from Shade 4.6 - ↑ Flare 2.6
- ↑ Glare 3.1
- ↑ Shadow 5.7
- ↑ I don’t know how I’m going to help these guys, Jessica.
I found myself actually hesitating before approaching Sveta, Tristan and Chris. The group had lost two of its members and its mentor in a matter of nine days.
Kenzie was missing, I noted. She was always early, barring extraordinary event. Worrying, when she was first or tied for first place among those I was most concerned about- she had just lost her friend, or whatever it was that Ashley was to her. Hard to pin down. That was the first half of it. The second half was the underlying threat within this group that Jessica had been so concerned about.
What do I even do? - Excerpt from Torch 7.5 - ↑ Torch 7.5
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 “You want our cape names, or group, or-”
“All of the above,” the man with the parted hair said. “It matters. This is a place where formality, titles, and roles matter. The name you choose is important.”
[...]
“Team Breakthrough. Capricorn, Tress, Antares, Lookout, and Cryptid. We’re here to talk about the state of things, and to see about sharing information.” - Excerpt from Torch 7.8 Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "7.8 e1" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Torch 7.9
- ↑ Beacon 8.8
- ↑ He stopped hissing to say, “I regret asking. I miss Ashley and Rain already. Without them to balance out the group, we’re going to end up getting back together as team Caramel Friendship with tramp stamps like the Love Bugs have.” - Excerpt from Torch 7.5
- ↑ Shadow 5.5
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