The Titanfall Chronicles: Independance Day (IC)

[The Abel Imaginarium]

Haven Tower- The Legacy Palace
Jan 2nd, 2014 - 1200 hours

Vendettra stood gloomily, looking up at the gigantic statue of Freedom Star her former role model and inspiration now a mere memento to spur other superpowered beings to join their cause. Clasped in her right hand was an Advanced Healthcare Directive document made especially by her adopted son 6 years prior. She remembered a time he had made a fuss out of having to think about his future personal safety and how she had to make him sit down and think hard about what to write down before letting him go outside and play hero. Those were good times and one of those periods when she thought nothing extremely bad was going to happen to them.

How foolish.

Lifting the folder up and opening it.....her dark-rimmed eyes began reading it listlessly although she already knew what was written in it by memory. Three years had past since the incident with Mister Damnation and still Abel showed no signs of awakening. Doctor Rebecca Seymour, her sister and the director of ASIDAC had reluctantly petitioned a request to shut down his life-support system and give him peace. According to her, Abel had been suffering uniquely from a series of recurring nightmares due to psychological trauma developed from all the torture he had underwent at the hands of the fanatical psychopath. It was like as if he was replaying & reliving the entire event over and over again in his mind.

In short.....an everlasting scenario of nothing but hellish pain.

As his guardian and foster mother, Vendettra was the only person with the legal right to pull out the plug and end her own son's life. At first she had chosen to ignore it and give the scientists more time to discover a way to wake him up. But now........after learning that Abel had been mentally torturing himself in the exact same way his torturer did for the past three years......... she wasn't sure of what to do anymore.

"Mom....its already time for the ceremony."

Vendettra snapped the folder shut and glanced across her shoulder to see her foster daughter and long-time side-kick, Vesper, standing behind with her arms crossed.

"The other members will be here soon and Shen and Linus are already waiting for you in the assembly hall," Vesper continued as she walked up and stood beside her mentor, whilst Vendettra quickly slipped the documents into the folds of her cloak. There was silence for a moment, as they both stood there gazing up at the rest of the other statues respectfully.

Vesper cleared her throat and said quietly, "Do you think the rest of the committee will accept Raverhood & Ricochet as AGA members as well?"

Vendettra replied stolidly. "Maybe......but I think Linus is still to young to become an All Guardian. He needs more training first before moving into the big leagues."

With that, she swiftly turned around and headed towards the elevator.

"I-..I think Shen- I mean Raverhood is ready," Vesper added, as she followed her foster mother and got into the elevator with her. "He's been fighting alongside us for years now and the AGA knew him since he first became Ricochet."

Vendettra could hear the chokiness in her voice and sense her daughter's uneasiness. She knew that Nicole was still having a hard time dealing with her emotions ever since Shen was asked to become the new Raverhood.......no....ever since Abel was placed in a coma actually.

"I think so too.....I doubt my colleagues will refuse to induct Shen and make him an All Guardian. God knows...we need true leadership skills like his from the new generation of superheroes."

The Assembly Hall of Ceremonies

"WOW!!....THIS IS SOO FREAKING AWESOME!" cried out Ricochet excitedly as the echo of his voice rang throughout the entire area. "My first time in the Hall of Ceremonies and I love it already!"

Taking out his camera, he began jumping up and down the large stage and taking pictures of himself in different angles. "This is going to go viral on Twitter & Facebook I bet......niiice."

Looking across at a brooding Raverhood, he smirked and said out loud awhile adjusting the camera lenses at him. "Say cheese Mr. Moody!"

The bright flash derailed Shen from his train of thoughts as he looked up and scowled at his new protégé. "Will you knock it off already Ric?.....the big boys are about to be here anytime soon and you don't want them finding you behaving like a little kid right?"

"But I AM a little kid remember?" came back the cheeky response as Linus pulled his tongue out at his mentor and went back to taking more selfies.

Raverhood shook his head, sighed and went back to his brooding. There was a time when he used to be like that.....immature, silly, naïve and slightly irresponsible. But things happen so fast and then suddenly.....he was taking his former teacher's place and on the verge of joining the big leagues and fighting alongside Vendettra herself. Frowning, Shen began tugging the collar of his costume in order to allow a little breathing space for his neck. A year and a half had already gone by since he became the 2nd Raverhood.......and still, he found himself feeling inferior to his best friend. It didn't help that he was also starting to develop feelings for his best friend's sister.

*Ding*

At that moment, the elevator doors opened and the Mother of the Injustice Family walked in with Vesper.

"Settle down kids," she said as she went up the stage and took a seat behind the long table meant for the veteran members of The Alliance. "Your future bosses will be here soon so I want you all to stay quiet and wait patiently in the meantime."

[Damak Var]

Haven Tower- Assembly Hall of Ceremonies
Jan 2nd, 2014 - 1200 hours
Jolevier Tash and Charlotte Simms


While not being part of the AGA or Injustice Family, Jolevier Tash was considered a friend to both organizations. He had worked with many of their members helping to solve complex tasks, strategize and even lobbied their interests at Congress. TKC was involved in a number of joint ventures with Seymour Solutions, all profitable. All were mutually beneficial relationships that married TKC's large supply of capital and heavy manufacturing capacity with Seymour Solution's ingenuity. Not that they did not produce anything novel themselves. But why limit the company at just that.

He looked on from the sides with Charlotte, his trusted friend. Not in any way a lackey but she did work for him. The AGA invited him to the ceremony, thinking it proper due to their relationship. Both Charlotte and Jolevier dressed particularly well for the occasion. He was wearing a green tie with a charcoal three piece suit and Charlotte a black one. It would show good faith for him to be present for this. Plus, Jolevier and Charlotte would be working out of TKC's Arkhaven offices for a while anyways. There was much to be done in this city.

Catching Rebecca's eye, Jolevier nodded and smiled in acknowledgement.

"Why are we here again?" Charlotte asked him.

"It's mportant we maintain good relations with the AGA and I have an interest in their success." Jolevier responded while clapping on the newcomers.

[Nocturn]

Haven Tower, Hall of Ceremonies

James Corinth walked into the Hall of Ceremonies, his black robes dragging the floor. He stroked his grey beard, a scowl on his face as he saw Ricochet jumping about. The old man shook his head, about to say something until Vendettra came in and spoke to her children. The man known as Centennial walked up to the heroine and nodded a greeting.

"So, Vendettra, the day has finally come for Raverhood to join us in the AGA?" he asked.

Corinth wasn't a councilmember, but he had been a part of the All Guardian Alliance since its inception. He was the last of the Centennials, a race of beings that existed outside of time, so they never aged unless they wished to appear older and wiser. They were dedicated to keeping the Earth safe, and did an excellent job until the entity of evil known as the Nightingale appeared in Japan. He had created the Brotherhood of Assassins, and war quickly erupted between the Brotherhood and the Centennials. In the end, only James was left, and he made an agreement with the Brotherhood. Not long after, the All Guardian Alliance was created, and he joined up.

"It is sad to see how he has had to grow up so swiftly." he commented, "Not that growing up is a bad thing, it is simply should happen under more favorable circumstances."

[ApertureScienceInc]

One day ago, in a military bunker mess hall somewhere in the Pacific...

"So Professor Phil O. Dendron, what makes you want to join us." The Mantis addressed the applicant in her hissing feminine voice. He was an old man with green hair dressed in a burlap suit and a tie made of leaves, not to mention his inch thick glasses with twig frames. The Mantis sat with her two colleagues, "Dr. Velociraptor" and Lord Westerberg. Recruiting new scientists into the union was slow work, as most were independent and contacting the League of Mad Science was made quite difficult due to its underground nature.

"As you see, my plans for a concentrated solar laser beam is ment to be used against those corporations raping Mother Earth while being eviromentally friendly in my vengence. They will pay for what they do to our planet out of greed and ignorance." Professor Dendron claimed, reading from his notes written on dead leaves. "So you don't desire to annihilate or subvert the human race?" Lord Westerberg asked through his synthesized German voice, as he was a levitating brain in a jar with metal tentacles flipping through papers on a clipboard. He considered Phil a waste of time, in his day he needed not to worry about the enviroment, he brought ruin to a hollow Earth utopia in an attempt to achieve supreme power. He cared not for this newfangled environmental movement, power was power, the aftermath was secondary. "No, just the Man keeping researchers like me down, keeping water powered cars off the market!" Phil answered passionately. "Sorry, we are looking more for those with the initiative to take over something, at least one of your pathetic mammilian concrete jungles." Dr. Velociraptor informed with distain and a deep raspy voice. Although the dinosaur hated every human he ever met. "We all agree that you could become good and backstab us before the League disbands. Your application is denied." The Mantis declared as Professor Dendron felt something crawling up his leg.

Looking down he saw red ants crawling out of the grates. "Are those South American army ants?" He asked nervously. "Yes, my sisters are quite hungry." The Mantis hissed as the ants began to bite. The applicant began screaming as he was rapidly overtaken, vainly attempting to brush them off in a panic. Soon the man was not visible, just a writhing mass of agitated red drones. He fell down covered in the ants as they carried him away, back to the nest. The screams were soon muffled by the ants crawling into his mouth.

"Curse you Rockwell! It was my turn to throw someone in the lava pit!" Dr. Velociraptor shouted in rage. "You snooze, you lose reptile." The Mantis playfully retorted. "You get the next one Raptor. And if we are done with this exercise in futility, we need to get going to New York. We cannot miss this opportunity."

Now, in an unfinished skyscraper somewhere in New York...

Dr. Velociraptor sat atop the bare iron girders, looking through antique binoculars with electonic peripherals taped on. "Do you have visual on the target?" Lord Westerberg asked via radio. "kssssch-Not yet, but I do see a coffee shop.-ksssch" Dr. Velociraptor replied via his antiquated radiophone, bigger than a brick. "You don't have to make the noise..." Westerberg chastised his irritating accomplice.

[Flammaland]

Haven Tower- The Legacy Palace
Jan 2nd, 2014 - 1200 hours

Sebastian Forester sat in a corner, eyes closed and fingers steepled before him. His laptop sat open on a side table next to his chair and streams if code raced their way across the screen. Strickly speaking, Sebastian wasn't really supposed to be here, but he had hacked his way onto the invite list. He wasn't doing doing anything illegal, not really. He was just coding a new computer virus that was heavily influenced by the Novarg virus of the early 21th century. As long as it didn't leave his laptop, it was legal. Sebastian's laptop was one of the most important things in the world to him, it was a custom build monster of a computer; capable of running some of the most powerful programs known to man and still maintain a very good frame rate. Sebastian opened his eyes and saved his work, then closed his laptop and put in in his shoulder bag. Then he stood up and started to mingle.

[The Abel Imaginarium]

Haven Tower, Hall of Ceremonies

James Corinth walked into the Hall of Ceremonies, his black robes dragging the floor. He stroked his grey beard, a scowl on his face as he saw Ricochet jumping about. The old man shook his head, about to say something until Vendettra came in and spoke to her children. The man known as Centennial walked up to the heroine and nodded a greeting.

"So, Vendettra, the day has finally come for Raverhood to join us in the AGA?" he asked.

Corinth wasn't a councilmember, but he had been a part of the All Guardian Alliance since its inception. He was the last of the Centennials, a race of beings that existed outside of time, so they never aged unless they wished to appear older and wiser. They were dedicated to keeping the Earth safe, and did an excellent job until the entity of evil known as the Nightingale appeared in Japan. He had created the Brotherhood of Assassins, and war quickly erupted between the Brotherhood and the Centennials. In the end, only James was left, and he made an agreement with the Brotherhood. Not long after, the All Guardian Alliance was created, and he joined up.

"It is sad to see how he has had to grow up so swiftly." he commented, "Not that growing up is a bad thing, it is simply should happen under more favorable circumstances."

"At least he's growing old enough to leave the nest," Vendettra replied to him monotonously as she shifted through several leaflets of papers all of which are records of various known super-powered criminals. "With myself about to handle most of the AGA paperwork & Ricochet about with his training still incomplete....I'm going to have my hands full in a couple of days."

Drawing out a chair next to her, she continued. "Take a seat James. Theres actually something I need to discuss with you and the rest of the other members about before doing the induction.....it concerns our long-term benefactor."

Indicating at Jolly Tash and his assistant who had just arrived not to long ago, Vendettra added. "With the whole world knowing about the ceremony to welcome the arrival of a new generation of heroes and hopefully.....a much better & more effective revamped version of The Alliance.....we're going to need some-sort of PR officer to help strengthen ties between the AGA and the U.N as well as draw more support from the Media and the people we're constantly saving everyday.

So my idea was.....to place Mr. Tash as one of the main leaders of the AGA committee and put him incharge of all our Public Relation affairs. Afterall....he's got some ties with influential politicians within the U.S Senate and he's been one of the AGA's main supporters for years now as well as a helper in numerous cases. I'll extend the offer to him after the induction....but first....I need to know what you guys think. Starting with you."

Ryker's Island - Neptunicon
Underwater ASIDAC R&D Facility

"Hows the patient doing?" inquired Dr. Seymour has she walked up besides a colleague of hers and peered through the glass window at a catatonic young teenager lying motionlessly on the bed.

"Ten times better than the last three years since you brought him here that's for sure," replied the geeky scientist gruffly. "We just sedated him with a quarter of that newly-developed Co2K Serum you brought along with ya yesterday. Seeing how steady his vital signs seems to be after 3 years of constant unstableness nearly brought tears to my eyes. Look at him.....he looks like a sleeping angel."

"Its the best we can do for my adopted nephew for now I'm afraid," Rebecca replied with a wistful smile. "....but I'm thankful the formula is working."

Turning around she continued, "How about our strange visitor from outer-space, Dr. Finch?....have you managed to make it talk to us?"

Dr. Harold Finch chuckled and answered, "If only that were true.....but nope. Its behaving exactly like our favourite client over here. Its like as if....its in some long-term hibernation or something and I have no ideas on how to wake it up without damaging it."

Dr. Seymour entered another room and stood before a glass case containing a weird mechanical-like object curled up like a worm. "(Sigh).....another mystery yet to be unravelled."

Exiting the place, she took off her lab coat and flung it across an office chair before reaching for her leather jacket on a wooden stand and saying, "I'm going to attend the AGA's induction ceremony for their latest recruits. Keep me updated in the meantime alright?"

"Sure thing Becky."

15 minutes later

"Wassup Doctor!" Vesper said with a grin as she greeted her foster aunt with a hug outside of the Hall of Ceremonies. "I wasn't expecting you to come."

"Well...I know how important this day is for the three of you and besides...I had some free time to spare so why the heck not," Doctor Seymour replied with a smirk before entering the hallway with her. Glancing around the still half empty area she added, "I knew I'll be one of the early ones no matter what time I came."

"Yup," Vesper replied with a nod, "But then what do you expect?....most of these so-called classic heroes are either too busy or too stuck-up to come right on time."

"Hey hey hey!" said Raverhood cheerily when he spotted the two of them walking in. "I think I've gotta go downtown right now and buy a lottery ticket. Today is probably the first time I've seen you arriving as one of the early guests."

"Yeah well...surprise surprise," Rebecca said smiling as Shen got up to hug her briefly. "By the way.....where's the other one?....don't tell me you guys left him at home with a babysitter again."

"HAHAHAHA!.....after what happened the last time?...no freaking way. Ric just went downstairs to fetch another member of our future team member lingering at the Legacy Palace. He'll be back soon."

The Legacy Palace

"Yo Dude!" the 13 year old Ricochet rudely cried out as soon as he exited the elevator and spotted Digital Shadow walking about.

"The party's about ta start so get your shit together and lets go back up man!"

[Nocturn]

Haven Tower, Hall of Ceremonies

James Corinth walked into the Hall of Ceremonies, his black robes dragging the floor. He stroked his grey beard, a scowl on his face as he saw Ricochet jumping about. The old man shook his head, about to say something until Vendettra came in and spoke to her children. The man known as Centennial walked up to the heroine and nodded a greeting.

"So, Vendettra, the day has finally come for Raverhood to join us in the AGA?" he asked.

Corinth wasn't a councilmember, but he had been a part of the All Guardian Alliance since its inception. He was the last of the Centennials, a race of beings that existed outside of time, so they never aged unless they wished to appear older and wiser. They were dedicated to keeping the Earth safe, and did an excellent job until the entity of evil known as the Nightingale appeared in Japan. He had created the Brotherhood of Assassins, and war quickly erupted between the Brotherhood and the Centennials. In the end, only James was left, and he made an agreement with the Brotherhood. Not long after, the All Guardian Alliance was created, and he joined up.

"It is sad to see how he has had to grow up so swiftly." he commented, "Not that growing up is a bad thing, it is simply should happen under more favorable circumstances."

"At least he's growing old enough to leave the nest," Vendettra replied to him monotonously as she shifted through several leaflets of papers all of which are records of various known super-powered criminals. "With myself about to handle most of the AGA paperwork & Ricochet about with his training still incomplete....I'm going to have my hands full in a couple of days."

Drawing out a chair next to her, she continued. "Take a seat James. Theres actually something I need to discuss with you and the rest of the other members about before doing the induction.....it concerns our long-term benefactor."

Indicating at Jolly Tash and his assistant who had just arrived not to long ago, Vendettra added. "With the whole world knowing about the ceremony to welcome the arrival of a new generation of heroes and hopefully.....a much better & more effective revamped version of The Alliance.....we're going to need some-sort of PR officer to help strengthen ties between the AGA and the U.N as well as draw more support from the Media and the people we're constantly saving everyday.

So my idea was.....to place Mr. Tash as one of the main leaders of the AGA committee and put him incharge of all our Public Relation affairs. Afterall....he's got some ties with influential politicians within the U.S Senate and he's been one of the AGA's main supporters for years now as well as a helper in numerous cases. I'll extend the offer to him after the induction....but first....I need to know what you guys think. Starting with you."

Ryker's Island - Neptunicon
Underwater ASIDAC R&D Facility

"Hows the patient doing?" inquired Dr. Seymour has she walked up besides a colleague of hers and peered through the glass window at a catatonic young teenager lying motionlessly on the bed.

"Ten times better than the last three years since you brought him here that's for sure," replied the geeky scientist gruffly. "We just sedated him with a quarter of that newly-developed Co2K Serum you brought along with ya yesterday. Seeing how steady his vital signs seems to be after 3 years of constant unstableness nearly brought tears to my eyes. Look at him.....he looks like a sleeping angel."

"Its the best we can do for my adopted nephew for now I'm afraid," Rebecca replied with a wistful smile. "....but I'm thankful the formula is working."

Turning around she continued, "How about our strange visitor from outer-space, Dr. Finch?....have you managed to make it talk to us?"

Dr. Harold Finch chuckled and answered, "If only that were true.....but nope. Its behaving exactly like our favourite client over here. Its like as if....its in some long-term hibernation or something and I have no ideas on how to wake it up without damaging it."

Dr. Seymour entered another room and stood before a glass case containing a weird mechanical-like object curled up like a worm. "(Sigh).....another mystery yet to be unravelled."

Exiting the place, she took off her lab coat and flung it across an office chair before reaching for her leather jacket on a wooden stand and saying, "I'm going to attend the AGA's induction ceremony for their latest recruits. Keep me updated in the meantime alright?"

"Sure thing Becky."

15 minutes later

"Wassup Doctor!" Vesper said with a grin as she greeted her foster aunt with a hug outside of the Hall of Ceremonies. "I wasn't expecting you to come."

"Well...I know how important this day is for the three of you and besides...I had some free time to spare so why the heck not," Doctor Seymour replied with a smirk before entering the hallway with her. Glancing around the still half empty area she added, "I knew I'll be one of the early ones no matter what time I came."

"Yup," Vesper replied with a nod, "But then what do you expect?....most of these so-called classic heroes are either too busy or too stuck-up to come right on time."

"Hey hey hey!" said Raverhood cheerily when he spotted the two of them walking in. "I think I've gotta go downtown right now and buy a lottery ticket. Today is probably the first time I've seen you arriving as one of the early guests."

"Yeah well...surprise surprise," Rebecca said smiling as Shen got up to hug her briefly. "By the way.....where's the other one?....don't tell me you guys left him at home with a babysitter again."

"HAHAHAHA!.....after what happened the last time?...no freaking way. Ric just went downstairs to fetch another member of our future team member lingering at the Legacy Palace. He'll be back soon."

The Legacy Palace

"Yo Dude!" the 13 year old Ricochet rudely cried out as soon as he exited the elevator and spotted Digital Shadow walking about.

"The party's about ta start so get your shit together and lets go back up man!"

Corinth sat down, listening intently to what Vendettra had to say. He nodded, thinking about this, then glanced over at Tash.

"While it is always best to believe in one’s self, a little help from others can be a great blessing." he said simply, "We have believed in ourselves long enough. Having some help in high places would be a great blessing indeed. And if you have need of any assistance within the next few days, please, do not hesitate to ask. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you, help you."

James nodded solemnly, thinking about all of the AGA members. He loved all of them, as a family, and everyone knew this. Corinth always felt the All Guardian Alliance as a family, the closest thing to one he had had since the rest of his people were killed in the war against the Brotherhood of Assassins.

The Sanctuary
3 Months Ago

"We must act quickly if we are to get someone into the AGA." a man in a red cloak said.
"But who?" a woman in dark, dark green asked, "No one stays away from the Brotherhood long enough to convince the others that they are a hero!"
"Yes there is." A teenager in dark blue, almost black, stated, glances around at the others, "I do."
"Azarath is right," a girl not much older than him confirmed, "We only ever see him at these meetings. He has no ties to the Brotherhood in their world, like the rest of us do."
"Azarath, are you okay with forfeiting your duties as a Brother and Councilman until we can infiltrate the All Guardian Alliance?" the man in red said.
"Yes, High Father," Azarath replied, "I forfeit my duties and my title until such a time comes that I am able to return with my new contract complete."
"Then, as the Head of the Brotherhood of Assassins," the High Father, Damien Roberts, continued, "I grant thee a temporary leave of absence of they duties."

Haven Tower, The Hall of Ceremonies
Present Day

Ever since that day, Joshua Angel, also known as Azarath, had done his best to be the best hero possible. Of course, he wasn't perfect, but he was exceptional for an eighteen-year-old. His mix of dark energy manipulation and martial arts skills had made him a fierce combatant against evil. What made this even better was that Azarath recognized some names and faces from contracts that he had passed on to lesser Brothers and Sisters in the Brotherhood.

Azarath had managed to get himself invited to this event, as someone was interested in Joshua, and wanted to speak with him firsthand. They had also wanted him to see what a coronation ceremony was like, as they intended on him being a part of one someday.

[Siliarba]

Haven Tower, Hall of Ceremonies
Celestia

Celestia never liked ceremonies, unless they were ceremonies in her honor, ceremonies she had gotten used to for centuries of being called a Goddess, with that only having stopped in the past decades. Something she was still bitter about, as known by most high ranking AGA. But these ceremonies were somewhat mandatory and wile not bending to the words of others, she felt like attending these was necessary for herself being not only one of the leaders of the AGA, but also the creator and ruler of the Witcher's guild. After all it was a task she had given to herself to train magic users on Earth for reasons she herself does not fully understand, but in any case this meant being present at occasions like these.

Traveling from her own dimension to the one the Earth was in always took great effort for her, the first moments even feel painful when her wings, almost literally get pulled off every time she enters. As she was expected here she came as herself, the blindfolded, dark haired, heavily tattooed in magical symbols, and as many see it scantily dressed (self-proclaimed) Goddess of magic. Never the less she had arrived at the AGA for the ceremony she as a leader would be part off. She made sure to enter close to Vendettra as this was one of her trainees ceremony, that and she had been following the starting conversation between her and Corinth.

"You know Vendettra, these ceremonies always bore me, since the dawn of this organization to this day I have not yet seen a single applicant worthy of my attention yet I keep attending these. And then there are the special cases of your students joining, regular humans, I don't see why you even bother with them. It's like having ants trying to live with mammals, but then again, you yourself are one of those ants so I guess weakness attracts weakness." For those not to familiar with Celestia this would seem like she was trying to insult Vendettra, but to those knowing Celestia, they would be aware she just held herself so highly that she couldn't look upon humans anymore without seeing them as insects with only other magic users just becoming worthy of being noticed to her, even if only with a glance.

"As for making Tash a leading member, go ahead, he may be an insect but at least his intellect surpasses that of regular humans like yourself.". Wile Celestia was talking she held one of her hands up in front of her, swirling it around a bit as different forms of magic took shape of an orb and were floating around her hand, appearing and disappearing randomly, air, fire, electric, void, ice, ... All forms one could imagine. "And don't worry about my vote for your students, they are nothing and therefore there is nothing for me to object to. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with the AGA, a lesser Goddess would have abandoned it years ago.".

Because of Celestia's attitude towards everything and everyone it has often been wondered why the AGA ever allowed her as a member, leave alone give her a leadership position, but to those knowing or remembering the origins of the AGA and the events that Celestia was part of at that time would still know why.

[Holy Empire of Avalon]

The vehicle roared like a jet as it skirted over the road. The passengers inside were screaming with fear meanwhile. "Ares! Pull the car over and I will drive, you are going to kill us all!" A boy wearing a star spangled outfit was cuddling tight to a gear in armor. "Aw look! They are cuddling, Lucifer, move your ass out of the picture!" A crimson eyed woman shouted from the front seat as both the boy and girl separated. "Hannah, cut it out. Now, Ares, pull over you are breaking the speed limit and I cannot let you endanger innocent liv-" The humvee took a very acute turn and he fell across the seat, "Pull over!" The god of war growled as he swore fiercely at someone who cut him off, "Maybe if I could go the speed limit we could, now shut up and sit down, Robert!" Hannah fawned over a pretty girl a car over as the two argued. "Ares, Robert, maybe you two should just talk about your-" "Shut up, Lucifer!" They both shouted at the Halfling. "No need to shout..." He turned and looked out the window. "Alright take the next turn and then go straight before turning left." Ares nodded while following the directions, "Now what does this place look like?" Robert searched the surrounding area and pointed at a huge tower. "Right there, turn in and we can get out. Everyone make sure you have your mask on, it is one thing for us to know each others identifies, it is another thing for them to know." Robert tied a black leather mask across his face, "How do I look?" Ares snickered, "You look like a dork." Emma slid her helmet on, the remaining three did not really have social lives to hide. The band of Heroes got out and began to go inside.

[Communist Androids]

Avitus Vitellius
Haven Tower, The Assembly Hall of Ceremonies
Avitus calmly strolled into the Assembly Hal of Ceremonies from the elevator. He was late, much later than he should have been. Avitus personally blamed it on the time. He always had to be extra careful in the day time, and sunblock, for all the wonders it did, wasn't nearly effective enough to protect the vampire from the sun's rays. So, it wasn't particularly helpful that the event was happening around noon, though Avitus could see when his co-workers would chose such a time. Most were not naturally nocturnal like he was. Right now, Avitus was dressed in his usual clothes, his hood pulled over his head and his cloak trailing behind him. Try as he might, Avitus couldn't ignore the burning sensation in his hands, though, as he once again cursed himself for leaving behind his gloves. Any light, even artificial, at least irritated him, made his skin burn and any part of him that it touched was generally uncomfortable.

Avitus made his way to the long table, made for the more senior members of the AGA. Having been around since not long after AGA's creation, Avitus was certainly considered a veteran. In fact, he was one of the oldest of the veterans, though he knew he was certainly not the oldest, not by a long shot. The vampire made his way to the nearest available seat. "I hope you will all forgive me for my tardiness." He began, speaking to nobody in particular. "I believe you all know of my strenuous relationship with the sun."

[Damak Var]

Jolevier Tash and Charlotte Simms
Arkhaven, Haven Tower, Assembly Hall of Ceremonies


Jolevier looked on at the high command of the AGA. He had built dossiers on them that contained both common and private knowledge. Though it contained no more information that could be gathered from private investigators observing from afar. Their business probably went a lot deeper than anything he knew. Vendettra and her proteges Raverhood and Vesper were all non meta powered but resourceful individuals. Jolevier admired that. Scarcity breeds efficiency and ingenuity, he always said. A thinking man would always go further than a brute.

There was James Corinth, another of their powered individuals. The legend goes that James is a veteran of fighting some ancient evil in Japan. Jolevier could not really be sure. Finally Celestia, the indifferent leader of the Witcher's Guild. A very powerful entity whose true nature was yet unknown to him. Not enough raw data had been collected. Finally, Avitus, the age old vampire who probably had a lot of interesting stories concerning human history. Jolevier would have liked to sit and ask him questions. He also wondered what it would be like to be as old as some of the people up there were. To have the ability to live far longer than anyone should. The thought frightened him. Immortality would take away the drive for accomplishment and to seize the moment.

"I almost forgot, what did you want to do with Chris Ruhr our paid intern?" Charlotte asked.

"What was his performance report?" Jolevier replied.

She brought up a holographic display from a portable disk and began to manipulate it with her other hand, doing a search. Chris's file came up displaying his face and other information underneath. "Outstanding." Charlotte told him.

"Offer him a pay raise...15%...to be transferred to our Arkhaven Offices from Seattle. I think he would be more useful here." Jolevier stated. Charlotte put in the orders for the company management.

[Holy Empire of Avalon]

Robert paused in front of the doors that led into the meeting hall. "Alright, we may have just formed this team but we need to convey that we work great as a unit or else the other heroes will not take us seriously." Hannah got out her phone and looked through her music. "What are you doing, Hannah?" Lucifer asked spying on her phone. "Getting the right song to play as we enter." She searched further. "That is not very professional, what song did you plan to play?" Robert looked over her shoulder now too. "Maybe Hero by Nickle-" Emma interrupted her, "No, play Modern Day Cowboy." Hannah sneered at her, "Ew, sweaty men that rode horses? Cowboys are gay." This made Emma sigh, "Aren't you yourself gay though?" Hannah retorted, "Yes, but that is different, I mean gay as in the insult." Emma struck back once more, "You are an illiterate baboon, you were probably around when English was invented and yet your mastery of the language is atrocious." Hannah pulled her clawed hand back and as about to hit Emma. "Woah, calm down you two, it is alright." Robert spoke softly and they both stopped the hostility. "Alright, now let's get inside before-"
Robert froze before opening the doors, "I can't... my childhood heroes are in their, what if I screw up and look like a fool? You guys can go in I will be staying out here..." Robert stepped aside from the door. "You are kidding me! You always act so humble about being able to dispatch tons of enemies in combat but yet you can't even talk to a few stiffs? What kind of soldier are you?" Ares kicked Robert after the boy had sit on the ground, "Come on get up." He kept prodding Robert with his foot, "Come on, I bet that one guy with the shield is in there, wasn't it your dream to meet him?" Ares continued annoying Robert trying to provoke him into going inside the room.

[Joshulia]

"Why am I here?"
Tobias asked himself this as he rode the elevator up the ceremony, much to the confusion of the young couple whom he shared the compartment with.
"Uh, what's that, mate?"
The, what he assumed, boyfriend of the pair asked, confusion filled his eyes as he asked this. He didn't know if the man had powers or not, so many did nowadays.
"Oh yes, the initiation of the child."
Tobias, now with clairvoyance of mind, turned his attention to the pair, who flinched at his gaze, and cocked his head. These two were jumpy....why was that? Oh yes, lots of super beings in one area and these two obviously were powerless, they lacked the slight glow he normally saw in mutants like himself. The machine dinged and the doors slid open, allowing for the pair to flee from the small area and walk quickly away, while Tobias, or as almost all knew him, Fate, stepped out slowly into the hallway. He proceeded at a leisurely pace to the ceremony room, where he saw they'd begun without him. He was both offended and didn't care at the same time, few people actual knew of him, but he was known by AGA, as the nature of his power and his personality tended to need supervision. He walked around the back way and seemed to appear beside others on the stage, blending in as he, unlike other mutants, chose to not wear a mask or costume. He crossed his hands behind his back and waited for something to happen.

[ApertureScienceInc]

Meanwhile in a strategically placed construction site...

Dr. Velociraptor watched from his perch in the unfinished skyscraper through binoculars. The crude laser-bounce listening devise besides him aided the location of the floor the targets were on. He waited impatiently for the right moment, wishing he had put a sandwich in the cooler on his back besides grenades. Although, the knowledge that his secret plan (unbeknownst by his cohorts) was sufficient to put up with waiting for the show of power. Lord Westerberg stood on a nearby crane, waiting for the players to be in place, he knew patience well, he planned on outliving them all, and focused on killing those who could outlive him naturally.

Meanwhile in a nearby burger joint...

The Mantis scuttled inside the dingy fast food establishment, tasked with the lunch run and planting explosives due to a lost coin toss. "I believe I placed an order to go. The name is Jane." she inquired, disregarding the stares of the other patrons. "Ummm, yeah. It's ready." the cashier answered, disturbed by the insect taller than himself. He nervously handed the bag over to The Mantis, who then paid the exact change via some helpful roaches. She dropped the bag in her large purse with the exlposives and friendly roaches. She began to leave, disregarding the terrified stares. Halfway out the door she heard a clang and a splat. "Damn roaches..." a customer in the back booth muttered after stomping one that had converged into the area. An antenna twitched on the Mantis' head, planting explosives would have to wait.

[Flammaland]

The Legacy Palace

"Yo Dude!" the 13 year old Ricochet rudely cried out as soon as he exited the elevator and spotted Digital Shadow walking about.

"The party's about ta start so get your shit together and lets go back up man!"

Sebastian smiled, although it was obscured by his mask, and strolled over to the kid. "Yeah yeah I know. You're the new kid Ricochet aren't you? I seem to remeber reading your file somewhere." Sebastian smiled again "Next time you see your old mentor, ask him about the Beijing incident. I guarantee his version of events will be quite far from the truth."

[The Abel Imaginarium]

Vendettra

Vendettra frowned and was about to say something cutting to James when she stopped herself in time. Remembering that he had always been the sentimental type she just cleared her throat and said, "Uhuh....yeah sure...thanks for agreeing with me by the ways."

Turning to Celestia she said with a slight smile tugging at the corner of her ruby red lips. "Its nice to see you again too Cel and apologies for bothering you with something so trivial as this. Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.....the meeting is about to start soon."

When Avitus finally arrived and took his place with them, she looked at her watch and sighed. Punctuality was something she valued a lot....but nonetheless she decided to wait for 4 more minutes before starting the ceremony. Meanwhile, outside the entrance to the Haven Tower building, a huge crowd of people consisting of reporters, global journalists, cameramen and various fans of the AGA were gathered outside, whooping and cheering as they anxiously waited to see who were the new inducted heroes of The Alliance.

Ricochet

"Beijing event?....and he's just upstairs actually waiting for louts like you to come and allow the committee to begin the ceremony," Linus said fiercely with narrowed eyes although the mask obscured most of his expressions. "Now come on before Vendettra decides to come down and bring you up personally and trust me......that's something you won't want her to do."

Ricochet entered the elevator and went up first without waiting for Digital Shadow. Exiting into the area, he spotted Robert and his team arguing right outside the closed entrance of the Hall of Ceremonies.

"Hey you guys.....what are you douchebags waiting for?...Christmas?.....do you all even know what time it is and how late you're going to be if don't get your ass in there?.....seriously.....either you get in right now or move out of my way."

Vesper

Vesper suddenly noticed Azaroth and walking casually towards him said, "Hi.....I don't think I've seen you before. But then again I've been too busy with other stuff to remember a lot of things. They call me Vesper. Whats yours?"

[Flammaland]

Sebastian followed the child up to the Hall of Ceremonies, then moved towards the side and waited for the ceremony to begin. His mind was already tuned into to some of the less secure technological systems like a few phones and the lights, but he wasnt planning on doing anything wrong. Not tonight. Tonight he was here to watch and observe, nothing more.

[Nocturn]

Vendettra

Vendettra frowned and was about to say something cutting to James when she stopped herself in time. Remembering that he had always been the sentimental type she just cleared her throat and said, "Uhuh....yeah sure...thanks for agreeing with me by the ways."

Turning to Celestia she said with a slight smile tugging at the corner of her ruby red lips. "Its nice to see you again too Cel and apologies for bothering you with something so trivial as this. Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.....the meeting is about to start soon."

When Avitus finally arrived and took his place with them, she looked at her watch and sighed. Punctuality was something she valued a lot....but nonetheless she decided to wait for 4 more minutes before starting the ceremony. Meanwhile, outside the entrance to the Haven Tower building, a huge crowd of people consisting of reporters, global journalists, cameramen and various fans of the AGA were gathered outside, whooping and cheering as they anxiously waited to see who were the new inducted heroes of The Alliance.

Ricochet

"Beijing event?....and he's just upstairs actually waiting for louts like you to come and allow the committee to begin the ceremony," Linus said fiercely with narrowed eyes although the mask obscured most of his expressions. "Now come on before Vendettra decides to come down and bring you up personally and trust me......that's something you won't want her to do."

Ricochet entered the elevator and went up first without waiting for Digital Shadow. Exiting into the area, he spotted Robert and his team arguing right outside the closed entrance of the Hall of Ceremonies.

"Hey you guys.....what are you douchebags waiting for?...Christmas?.....do you all even know what time it is and how late you're going to be if don't get your ass in there?.....seriously.....either you get in right now or move out of my way."

Vesper

Vesper suddenly noticed Azaroth and walking casually towards him said, "Hi.....I don't think I've seen you before. But then again I've been too busy with other stuff to remember a lot of things. They call me Vesper. Whats yours?"

"I'm called Azarath." he replied simply, his cloak wrapped around his body, "So this is the famous Hall of Ceremonies? It's not as big as I imagined."

He chuckled slightly glancing about the huge room. Azarath glanced about, then saw Centennial. The assassin scowled slightly, the Brotherhood and Centennial were not exactly on good terms. He caught himself and returned the expression of awe rather quickly. Corinth also noticed Azarath, and recognized him as a Councilman of the Brotherhood. James didn't say anything, however.

[Siliarba]

Haven Tower, Hall of Ceremonies
Celestia

"Unless it's a throne built to worship me I prefer standing, I miss the days of Olympus, Valhalla, and so on. People still knew how to worship their Deities those days, these days they keep themselves blinded from seeing divine light not even being able to tell divinity if it stood right in front of them." Celestia was obviously talking about the fact that in the past few decades people have begun rejecting the idea of her as a Goddess and more and more started seeing her as just another sorceress, regardless of how much power she had.

As she continued to talk a clear bitterness was getting more and more prominent in Celestia's voice "And if that wasn't worse enough there are those even that believe they are my, ..., equals.". As Celestia was talking the orbs of magic she was maintaining around her hands started to crack and waver. Once she had come to utter the word equals they shattered completely and the air around Celestia felt like it literally froze for a moment. Even through her blindfold you could almost see the anger and frustration in her eyes but she quickly regained her composure as the orbs of magic returned, the air felt normal again and Celestia having gone back to her state of great boredom.

[Hydronium]

Haven Tower, Hall of Ceremonies
Kuk sat down in the large room. He really had nothing better to do, since he didn't know anyone. He pulled out his phone, and sifted through his thoughts. He really had no better reason to be there then "why not?" so he sat in the back of the room, waiting for the ceremonies to begin. There was a seat open next to him, but he didn't notice it.

[ApertureScienceInc]

Meanwhile at a nearby construction site...

The Mantis vertically ascended the girders to her cohorts, with the lunch in hand. "Are the explosives in place?" Lord Westerberg inquired. "Well, not exactly..." the Mantis replied, as the burger joint she had been at was now reduced to a smoking chared pile of ex-burger joint rubble in the streets below. As the smoke wafted upwards, Dr. Velociraptor dug into his burger. "At least it'll give the morbid short-sighted mammalian media a temporary distraction from our location." he muttered raspily. "That was suppose to be Plan B. No matter, we still have sufficient firepower to make our point." Lord Westerberg commented as he left, flying towards Ryker's Island.

[Ularn]

Tash-Kishuzin Offices, Seattle Branch

...and for many of the latter group of superhumans who attained their abilities naturally as a fluke of genetics and evolution, but did not see them manifest until later in life - usually puberty - this moment of first manifestation is a worrisome and often traumatic experience.
Chris right clicked on the document he was composing and scrolled through the list of synonyms for 'worrisome'. It lacked the tone he was aiming for in his report for the R&D section - and in fact the whole sentence seemed a bit rambling. With Tash-Kishuzin directing more of its budget into the study of superhumans, they had started by asking the slightly above average portion of their employee base with special abilities to write about their experiences and anything else they thought was relevant about their lives and their identities.
The brief was so vague that Scott already knew what was going to be done with the received submissions. Lacking the severity of proper scientific research. They'd probably all be foisted off onto some intern like himself only with a biology degree to dig through for anything resembling useful information or patterns. Maybe it would suggest some worthwhile avenue of study for those with the higher pay cheques. Whatever; it gave Chris a legitimate excuse to avoid doing any real work for a while.
Despite their existence being public knowledge for well over half a century now, science had scarcely scratched the surface of the enigma that was people like Chris. In fact, a surprisingly high number of 'experts' were still running around with their hands in the air screaming about how their existence should not be physically possible. Chris himself was supposedly the personification of graffiti on a thermodynamics textbook.
Movement above his cubicle drew Chris' eyes away from the screen. Leaning on the divider was a familiar face. Blue eyes were framed by immaculately combed wavy blonde hair and infuriatingly perfect chiseled jawline. He was wearing a red and white striped tie with pale blue shirt, open at the top button. The guy was good looking like the supporting male actor in a rom-com; the excessively pretty and slightly assholish one the heroine would ditch at the end for the rugged, down to earth hunk probably played by Gerard Butler. For Chris, whose morning grooming consisted of brushing his teeth, haphazardly rubbing some brylcreem through his copper hair to hold the side parting in place and maybe remembering to moisturise, the idea that someone who earned the same intern's salary as him could find the time to look so good just to come to work was a little infuriating, even if the personality behind the mask was one Chris grudgingly admitted to calling friend.
"What's up?" Scott greeted, then nodded at the TV screen on the far wall, currently displaying the interior of the All Guardians Alliance headquarters curtesy of the handful of news teams that had been allowed inside. "How come you're not watching the ceremony?"
"Same reason I didn't watch the royal wedding," Chris grumbled, "I don't give a toss, and don't much like what the people stand for."
Scott shrugged, "Thought you'd be interested, being your own people and all."
Chris shook his head. Although he tried not to advertise the fact that he was a super, pretty much everyone in the office knew anyway. He suspected it was partly for that reason that he had been given the internship. At least being a super in a normal job was more common in Tash than most other workplaces. "I'm a super," he admitted, "I'm also British; didn't mean I had any interest in the family affairs of some other Brits while they perpetuated some bullshit hereditary propaganda. I mean, let's face it, who the fuck really believes a thirteen year old is going to make the world safer? Little bastard ought to be popping zits and figuring out how to delete his browser history. He's only getting into the AGA because his mummy's in it."
Scott flashed a politician's smile and held up his hands in defense, "Okay, sure. I forgot how this stuff wound you up. Anyway, there's a couple nightclubs celebrating with some drink deals. You fancy coming along? I know Brenna's keen for it." He finished the sentence with what could best be described as a wink in all but the act itself.
"Maybe," Chris replied, "But I mean I should probably get some sle - oh hello, new mail." Abandoning the conversation for a moment, he tapped the notification in the corner of the screen and skimmed the top line of the HR department's email. His eyes widened, and he went back to the beginning and read the whole thing right through, mouth open and twitching in silent recitation. "Fucking hell," he breathed at last.
"What?" Scott asked, edging round the cubicle divider for a direct look at the screen.
Chris rotated the monitor to give him a better look and read aloud, "Dear Mr Ruhr, In light of your exemplary performance in recent months and taking into account your unique skill set, the Tash-Kishuzin Corporation is delighted to offer you a permanent role within our organisation. Your new position will be yada yada, with a salary of big yada, at our Arkhaven facility. Yada yada yada, hope you will accept this offer; please respond with your decision as soon as possible. Thank you for all your hard work. Yours sincerely, Charlotte Simms, personal bloody secretary to the big man upstairs." Chris turned away from the screen and looked at Scott, "Wow!"
Even Scott looked impressed, and he generally managed to hide shock pretty well beneath his too-cool persona. "Wow," he agreed, "You gonna accept it?"
Chris pointed at the salary in the email, "You see that number? Fucking right I'm gonna accept it. I need to call my mum and dad; looks like I'm not gonna be back in Scotland for a while."
"You sure they sent it to the right person?" Scott asked, "'Exemplary performance' can't possibly mean you, right?"
"Piss off!" Chris laughed, even if he felt a twinge of guilt at the same time. All the interns were fighting for a permanent place in Tash and, if he was honest, a lot of them were better than him. Chris had no doubt at all about what Charlotte Simms had meant by his 'unique skill set' and slightly resented the fact the company probably only wanted him for his body. On the other hand, he had never asked for a leg up on the competition because of his powers; he was not going to say 'no' if they decided to give him one anyway. Scott was smart; he would do alright either way, Chris was sure. "Anyway, guess I am celebrating tonight. Let's do this club thing."
"Yeah, but only if you're buying the first round, Daddy Warbucks!"

[The Abel Imaginarium]

Haven Tower - The Hall of Ceremonies

After 5 more minutes have gone by, Vendettra stood up from her chair briefly and cleared her throat. "The time has come for the induction to start. Will the candidates please arise and line-up infront of us on the stage."

Once they had arose from their seats had lined up according to her instructions, Vendettra continued. "For the past several years, most of you here have went through some of the most brutal experiences befitting that of a true superhero. Some of you know the responsibilities & heavy burdens that comes with the territory of being an enforcer of justice and alot of you have even gained experience fighting besides your mentors and fellow co-workers as you battle to destroy the evil that has threatened to ruin the lives of innocents many times. As your elders we can honestly say that we know what you feel.....been through what you've been through....and gained experiences in the same or similar way as most of you. That is why the board members of the AGA have decided that it is time for you to graduate and move on to the next level."

Taking a black box from the table, she opened it before approaching each candidate and pinning a silver badge resembling the logo of the AGA on all of them. "With this badge you have all become Honorary All Guardians of the Alliance......welcome aboard to the team guys."

Everybody was practically feeling excited as heck but not Vesper. Infact....she was probably the only one looking really infuriated & dissapointed.

"HONORARY All Guardians?!" Vesper cried out as she stepped out from the line and glared at Vendettra. "Is there a catch to this?....why are we called Honorary and not just ALL Guardians like the rest of you?"

Vendettra frowned. She had already anticipated this.

"You ARE an All Guardian. Just not one of the big leagues yet. The board and I have decided that before we can properly induct you to be one of us we will have to see how well your performance will be working as a team. Now I know you may think that your teamwork is excellent Vesper....having been doing it ever since you joined the family. But that's different.......family is family. We want to see how well you new candidates.........most of you practically strangers to each other......function as one big machine. We are about to leave the future of the AGA to you guys......but we won't unless we are 100% sure you are ready for the task."

"So in other words.....YOU GUYS DON'T TRUST US!" Vesper retaliated back angrily while Raverhood dropped his head down in shame. "In short....we're still your side-kicks......your flunkies.......just given another more fancy name that's all!"

Tearing the badge from her costume, she flunged it onto the floor and started walking towards the door. "Maybe you're right.....maybe there ARE a few of us here who are still too inexperienced and too young to belong to the AGA. But I thought I was ready....I thought I had your trust 100%.....and most of all I thought you had faith in me."

Stopping right at the entrance, she opened the double doors and looked back at the gathered heroes behind her. "Well guess what......I quit. I'll find my own way to earn my spot on the AGA WITHOUT joining your new team of specialised side-kicks."

and with that she was gone.

Vendettra exhaled deeply before looking at the candidates. "Anybody else who wishes to leave then by all means do so. But know this......we did not lie to you and we know full well you all are a big step up from being side-kicks. Most of us here on the board are even willing to entrust to some of you our very lives at a minute's notice. The AGA isn't just a normal hero club you can easily sign-up and join in for the kicks. Its the real thing and we want full evidence of your untiring dedication to the cause. You might think you are ready but I can assure you some of you are not."

Sitting back down, Vendettra then awaited for their response.

Raverhood was silent during the entire time. But after some thought he looked back up and said, "I'm in.......and its not because you're my mentor or anything like that. I'm in because I know this is the right way to prove to you guys that I'm ready to fulfil whatever expectations you have of me."

Turning to the others, Raverhood spoke to them quietly. "Look.....I know most of you guys must be feeling alittle.....no....VERY disappointed and frustrated. But she's right. The AGA isn't just some fun club we think it is to get attention, fame and a chance to beat up more supervillains for laughs. We have to prove to them in the right way....and the right way is for us to work as a team and show to the world we are ready to be part of the AGA and to carry on the legacy that our inspirations and role models have done for the past decades. So I'm asking you all as a friend.....don't turn your back on this."

[Holy Empire of Avalon]

Robert pulled the knife from his side and began unscrewing the bolts on an air vent duct. "I hate to interrupt their meeting by barging in, maybe I can go in through here and let you guys in stealthily." Robert crawled in the vent and made his way in. "Geez, reminds me of the compounds back out in the East. These ventilation systems are pretty dusty." He managed to move along with agility and not even make a sound, soon Robert was over top of the conference room, he opened the vent and was going to drop in when he overheard the conversation. "Glorified Sidekicks?" He thought back to all that his friends had done. "I am not going to have them be side kicks to anyone, we are a team." Robert went back the way he came. The boy came out of the vent shaft and closed it up, "Come on guys, we are not needed here, they have enough heroes." He sighed, all Robert had wanted to do was meet the other heroes, he already had a team, he just wanted to see his childhood idols. Stepping out of the lobby they ran into flashes of cameras and rapid talking.

[Nocturn]

James simply shook his head when Vesper walked out, she actually reminded him of one of the Centennials, before they were killed. However, his hope was rekindled when Raverhood had started to speak. This was someone who was ready for the AGA, James could feel it. Corinth smiled inwardly, ready for this new generation to join the ranks.

Azarath, on the other hand, was enjoying watching the side-kick burst out in anger. He wasn't being initiated, he was simply here as a guest, so he slipped out the door and went after Vesper. When the Assassin saw her, he almost called after her. He wasn't an idiot though, he knew when a girl needed to be alone. He returned to the Hall to watch the rest of the initiation. Azarath and Centennial locked eyes, both seeing the worst in each other, yet seeing something that they shared, though they couldn't place it.