Seeing as how this power can be easily read in two ways, I've taken it to the dep cave for clarification.

Bottom line, it depends on what the free action encompasses.

If the free action includes both the move and the attack then you cannot make the attack without moving first. Since it is within an action, you would always need to roll break away (if applicable), even if you only move 0 spaces.

If you have movement and then the free action is just the attack, you will never need to roll break away.

The wording is actually quite different than Running Shot:

Running Shot
Give this character a power action; halve its speed value for the action. Move this character up to its replacement speed value and it may be given a ranged combat action as a free action.

This is what a character may do as a free action here.


Press the Attack: Once per turn, if Citizen V KOs an opposing character with a close combat attack, he may immediately move up to his full speed value and make one close combat attack as a free action.


And this is what Citizen V may do as a free action.

The choice of action (the "may" part) is in a completely different place in the two powers.

Thanks Harpua. This is how I would think the analysis would go. One additional issue to bring to the table, in the event that normalview is correct, is how would Shape Change interact with Citizen V's Press the Attack. In most other cases, the attack is happening as its own action. If the free action gets interrupted by Shape Change, what happens?

On a similar note, normalview says "may" is the trigger word on how to read these things. What about Bouncing Boy? He never says "may." Is his free action the movement and attack or just the attack? (Speedball has a similar special power.)

From the Player's Guide:
How about Green Scar and Smash? It also never uses the word may. Is the free action just the close combat action or does it include the movement too?

From the Player's Guide:

Too bad the game designers don't have a definitive glossary of terms that they must use when writing character's special powers. Consistency would solve so many problems and eliminate so many questions.