Six months had passed since the horrifying terrorist attack. During that time, several major events had taken place.
First, the joint operation between the government and Vought International had proved highly effective. No large-scale terrorist attacks had occurred since the massacre at the hearing. Together, they had arrested or killed nearly a hundred Supervillains, while the remaining Evil groups had gone to ground.
Three months later, the Federation government lifted the nationwide state of emergency.
Second, the National Security Council established a new department called the Supe Oversight and Management Bureau. It was responsible for overseeing Supes and had the authority to arrest any Supe found plotting a crime.
The new bureau wielded extraordinary authority. It answered directly to the National Security Council and could order any other department under the council to cooperate unconditionally, including the Central Intelligence Agency.
The bureau's director was a face the public knew well.
Congresswoman Victoria Neuman.
The third major event was an announcement Vought International made two weeks after the terrorist attack.
According to the announcement, an internal investigation had uncovered a serious failure in personnel management: there was a mole within The Seven. The mole's identity stunned everyone.
It was Starlight, who enjoyed enormous support among young people.
The investigation found that after joining The Seven, Starlight had secretly colluded with Evil forces and stolen Compound V from Vought International to support their covert research.
The revelation caused an uproar. Some people remained skeptical at first, but Starlight made no public protest. Months passed without any word from her, and people began to believe she had gone into hiding after her identity was exposed.
A small number of Starlight's die-hard fans still argued that she might not be a mole at all. They believed Vought International had invented the story to cover