Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

[Zarkenis Ultima]

July 19th
Wonder Island, San Diego

---

Sam replied with a neutral expression and tone. "They'll do." He held his expression for a moment, then grinned like a madman. "Oh, I've got juicy, juicy dirt all right! I managed to get one set on top of a building overlooking their HQ. That got me some priceless information -- stuff no outsider would know -- especially during the battles. Nicknames, call signs, code words, all sorts of great stuff!"

Alexis smiled at the news. "That's good to hear! Glad my stuff could help you. Must've been a feat in itself to set up bugs so close to their base, though." She paused for a moment, then looked at Sam with a bit of curiosity. "What battles? Warwolf's been involved in quite a few since their arrival."

A bit uncertainly, he said, "There have been ... seven attacks on them since I started eavesdropping." He paused, organized his thoughts, then went on with greater confidence. "One yesterday, an attack on a patrol; five the day before, mostly on patrols; and one on the 16th, also an attack on a patrol. Wolfie seems to think three of the patrol attacks were done by the same group, but I didn't catch the details.

"I intervened during one of the fights on the 17th, and wow! There's a new bandit in town, and he's pinned the needle for powers." Sam's eyes got big as he said the last part.

The girl listened and nodded along as Sam listed off the information he had on the various skirmishes Warwolf had been involved in since their arrival- or rather, since the older hero began doing some sleuthing around the PMC. Due to Naja's policy of keeping the team away from Warwolf for the time being, she only had limited information, which meant that several of the attacks Sam mentioned were unknown to her.

"Really, a new bandit in town?" She said, mildly amused by his choice of words, but mostly curious about how surprised he seemed. "I haven't heard much about that. What happened during the fight?"

Sam started to gesture with both hands, opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then started again. "Let me start at the beginning. There's this guy named Kaban. Looks like Wyatt, but all white and much taller. He's been smashing up Wolfie vehicles for fun, so I'd been looking for him to talk some sense into him. A couple of days ago, he was doing it again, and I happened to be nearby. While I was hauling ass to get to him, radio reports said another super had joined him. That's the set-up." He paused to take a breath.

"Kaban?" Alexis questioned, tilting her head. Not a name she had heard before, and she certainly hadn't seen any Dra'Qunni besides Wyatt either, so this came as a surprise. "Huh... I'm guessing this other super is the bandit you're talking about?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sam went on with increasing excitement. "So, as I was skating towards these guys -- they were on a cross-street -- a couple of Wolfie copters open up on something on the ground, firing guns and missiles. Whatever they were shooting at doesn't take well to that and... Throws? Launches? I don't know... A couple of big spinning things at them, blowing them both up.

"When I reach the intersection, and get a view of the action, I see Kaban wresting with a bunch of Wolfie mecha, a burning... the news said it was an infantry fighting vehichle... and this rather tall purple..." Sam threw his hands wide in a helpless gesture. "Energy being? Demon? God knows. Whatever it was, it was pompously going on to the Wolfies that the puny humans should surrender before it's forced to destroy them all. God! I thought that sort of villain died out in the 1960s!

"Anyway, I froze both it and Kaban. At least that slowed them down slightly, but then they both broke loose and flew away, the new bandit producing a bunch of duplicates to cover its escape. I'd like to say I single-handedly defeated two powerful supervillians, but Wolfie reinforcements were starting to show up down the block." Sam gave Alexis a few seconds to digest the battle description.

"Ever heard of Big And Purple before? He wasn't in my database, but now I've seen him in action, he's got an entry. Oh, and I've got video from a News 4 chopper that starts just before I got on the scene. I was hoping you guys would know something about him or could work with me to figure out what he's capable of."

Alexis nodded and then looked up, a thoughtful look on her face. "Well, I've heard of Deep Purple, but I'm pretty sure those are different things." She joked, poking fun at the silly nickname Sam gave the mysterious new superhuman. Then, she walked over to her chair, sliding towards her computer terminal and starting a search. "Anyway, that's not a lot of detail, but I think it rings a bell. For all the arrogance and the god-complexes that superpowers can bring, I don't think there's a lot of supers that flat-out don't identify themselves as humans anymore. Unless..." She pulled up a page from an internet database on the family of a certain alien diplomat, pointing at the man standing next to him. "They're not human in the first place. Does spiky hair there look anything like Big and Purple?"

Sam took at step closer to the screen and examined the image closely, then read the accompanying text. "That's not a form I saw, but it might match some of the early descriptions. I'll have to see if anybody recorded those. The powers seem like a good fit, though. Could I get a copy of this? I have a micro-SD card with me. That's what the summarized goodies from the spy gear are on, along with the News 4 video of the fight."

"It's the internet, you have as much of a right to it as anyone else!" The girl declared with a chuckle, before nodding and taking the card from him. A few clicks and keystrokes later, a copy of the page from the database was saved on Sam's card, and she handed it back. "Here you go. Any other juicy stuff you want to share?"

Sam flashed a grin. "Perhaps after training. I've got dossiers on part of Wolfie's command structure, some of whom are probably good targets for Wyatt and me. And I've got an analysis how they talk when they're walking around their base. It gives some ideas of how they think about the problem here in San Diego, which is to say, they seem to have unusual emphasis on supers. That might be reasonable because superbaddies are major threats, but there's plenty of mundane threats to worry about too."

Sam paused as a penny dropped. His mask wrinkled as he knitted his brows. "But am I correct that you hadn't heard about the fight between Kaban, Asumar, Wolfie, and me before?"

Alexis nodded in approval upon hearing the amount of information that Sam had been able to gather in the span of a little under a week--with the aid of her gadgets, of course!--and then nodded again to answer the question. "You'd be right, yeah. Naja's been keeping a fair bit of information from us as of late, to keep us from getting into trouble with Warwolf I guess. We don't have a great track record what with Red being briefly arrested, and we also have no legal grounds to mess with them, so, we're just at a disadvantage in general, I guess." She said with a shrug, not pleased with the state of affairs, but lacking a solution. "I'd heard of some of the attacks on patrols, but not of a big skirmish like that."

"Huh!" Sam's head rocked back. "I didn't expect that. Maybe a warning, but...

"Anyway, yeah, there was another big attack at the same time. It sounds like a small group hit one of Wolfie's outposts, but there's not much public about it. It would make sense if the two attacks where planned that way, that Kaban and Asumar were distractions to lure Wolfie away from their bases, but I don't have any proof of that. It would explain why those two didn't stick around longer, however: mission accomplished, time for a beer." Sam shook his head: that was a stretch.

He looked around, eager to change the subject. If Naja felt her kids couldn't be trusted, it would be better not to rub their noses in it. His eyes came to rest on Alexis' armor. "Did you build this as well?"

Alexis raised an eyebrow at the plot Sam reconstructed from what he knew about the attacks on the 17th, but he quickly decided to change the topic, and she wasn't one to pry, so she nodded at the older hero. "Yup, made it myself, right here in this lab. After me and the other Young Bloods met and first fought together I thought I'd need some extra protection; I'm tough, but not enough to stop bullets." She grinned as she pointed at the glowing orb in the center of her vest. "Form-fitting force field, capable of stopping some pretty tough stuff. Of course, it also gives baddies a very obvious target, but if it ever breaks, well, that means it was out of juice anyway."

Sam whistled in admiration. "I'd heard the military was messing around with force fields, but I didn't think I'd ever see one myself. And there is something to be said for an wearing an impenetrable target on your chest: it means the bad guys won't shoot at your head.

"Any other fancy tricks your armor can do?"

"What, the vest? Not really." She replied, flicking the orb and causing a bluish coat to become visible for a moment so that Sam could look at it. "That's why I combine it with other gadgets though. These have all sorts of stuff ranging from holographics and telekinetic technology to medical applications, and these..." She continued, pointing first at her gauntlets and then at her boots. "...are pretty damn fast. They're equipped with special thrusters, along with a little bit of anti-gravity technology, which gives me a lot of maneuverability while airborne."

She paused for a moment after her explanation. "Some of the components cost a fortune though. I'd have more or better stuff if it wasn't due to limited resources."

Sam started to look over her gear, but when she mentioned anti-gravity, his eyes snapped up to her face. "That is a hell of a gift you have! It would take me years just to learn one of those technologies well enough to build my own equipment in it, and you've mastered ... six? seven? already." He shook his head slowly, not sure what to believe. "I've heard of people with intellectual powers before, but that's usually intelligence that makes Einstein look like a slow child, nothing like... Wow."

Alexis grinned and scratched the back of her head, flattered that her creations were being praised not just by her friends and teammates, but by someone who was actually involved in the technology business. "Well thanks, Blizzard! I don't tend to think too highly of these things since it's just the requirements for having a fighting chance against the bad guys my friends face, but if you put it that way..." She trailed off, still smiling.

"I do have to admit, being able to devote twenty-four hours a day to a project is a huge advantage when it comes to these things." She added.

Sam chuckled and shook his head. "Even if I didn't have to sleep... In an eight-hour work day, I might get six hours of hard thinking done, and maybe seven in a ten-hour day. With an extra eight hours, I might be able to pick up four more, but nothing beyond that."

"Hmm, yes, I suppose I understand that. Admittedly I find it hard to work non-stop for twenty-four hours; I can't imagine how people who need to sleep and have actual adult responsibilities manage to do their jobs." Alexis stated with a snicker, shaking her head. She then glanced down at a small display on her gauntlet. "Whoops. I think training's about to start. You wanted in, right? Better not be late in that case!"

(Note: Sam appears courtesy of Northwest Slobobobobobobobobobovia)

[Charmera]

Cassandra

Cassandra recorded the orders as they came in. Wyatt wanted a half and half plate, which she assumed meant one pancake and one waffle. Kiris refused the pancake meal which was to be expected of the carnivorous alien. Alexis didn't require food, but her order for food wasn't so odd as it made sense given what Cass knew of her. She didn't technically need the food that Cass made, but she seemed to occasionally make herself food or take the food that Cass made. That made sense, given that she was told that eating food gave humans pleasurable sensations.

Casimir made a normal enough request and then a somewhat stranger question. She was not used to being asked questions so personally, but she answered to the best of her ability. "I do not have preferences in the same way you humans do, Mr Herman." She responded. "However considering I was not in any notable occupation after my production, I would say that working as a superhero is more fitting for my capabilities and programmed purpose."

Red opted in for the pancake and waffle breakfast, however his response was unspecific, so Cass merely made the mental note to present him the choice between a plate of waffles or pancakes.

Then a teamate she was somewhat unfamiliar with, Tadeo, whispered to her. She listened to his comments. "That is an interesting observation, however I think I may have the answer to your conundrums." She responded in a lower tone. "I am an android who has no organic parts. As for the gentleman you have pointed to, that would be Wyatt. He hides his true form as it does not blend in well with humans. However we are well aware of this. There is no need for concern."

Then Mars commented on her food. She nodded to the young engineer. "Thank you."

Then she Addressed Roy. "Mr Damon I am programmed specifically for the purpose of acting as a Combat Butler. Asking me not to perform that function is like asking a calculator to not perform math or asking a knife to not cut meat." She replied. "Besides, I have nothing else to do with my time."

Then Carter took the waffles she had already prepared. She was fine with this, as it made her job as server easier.

She then turned to Yoshiro. A pause. That was an odd request. She felt compelled to question it. "Of course Miss Nakama. However may I ask where you happen to be going? Merely out of pre programmed curiosity."

A lie. A clumsy one, but to be fair she was still learning.

[New Finnish Republic]

Red

---

"Yeah, it's uh, it's good coffee, not going to lie."

Red noted the slight change in facial expression from Renata with her response. He kept his own expression neutral, but his mind began to race on to why she would something as simple as coffee grounds could upset her.

"I've seen better coffee in Ecuador, though."

It was then when it hit them. They fucking hate each other. Jesus Christ, I'm an idiot.

"Yeah, I'll have to try some out next time we're starting to run low."

He placed the mug of coffee to his lips, less to take a sip of its contents and more to hide the scowl he had on his face as he cursed himself for slipping up like that. It seems I'm a master at pissing everyone off, he thought as he lowered the cup from his face, his neutral expression returning. Thankfully, Renata seemed to be eager to move on to a different subject as she mentioned the upcoming training session. Red was actually interested in this topic, as he placed his mug onto the end-table next to the couch.

"I've had a few ideas of who I'd want on my team to compliment my...er, lack of powers and such."

A smug look appeared on his face.

"All I know is that I want my team to be the one to kick Roy's team's ass."

It was then when Elle entered the room, still in her pajamas as a pair of headphones on her head blared out music.

"World affairs?" All I know about world affairs is that the place is full of slimy shits out to make the weakest and defenseless suffer and that's why I've got this skull mask on my head."

Red shrugged at her comment.

"I suppose that's one way to put it."

Carter was the next to walk in, Red noticing his teammate wince slightly as he passed by him. It looks like my 'persuasion' seemed to work on him, Red thought contently as he reached back to grab his mug of coffee which was quickly becoming whittled down.

"I mean, why do we have to watch politics and world affairs and feel shitty? Like, I get that it's important and you should keep an eye on it, but why do we have to constantly use it as an excuse to moan like you're the lyricist of Skillet? Like, c'mon, you gotta keep optimistic! Just acting depressed and musing over it isn't gonna change it, so might you might as well just quit it."

Red rolled his eyes.

"Life isn't a bunch of sunshine and rainbows, Carter."

Still, Red couldn't help but agree that complaining all the time was the route to go.

"If it's that much of a big deal, I'll flip it over to sports or something. I didn't get to catch last night's game anyways."

Reaching with his free hand over to the remote, he switched the channel to the sports broadcasting station, where two men were arguing rapid fire over a list of sports related topics. While Red was certainly a fan of sports in his free time, specifically of the Yankees, he couldn't imagine how grown adults could get so adamite about such trivial things. I suppose everyone's got their priorities, he thought as he listened to them continue for some time.

However, Red knew that the proper thing to do in this situation was to try and maintain some type of conversation, so with a bit of reluctance he looked over to Elle.

"So, Elle, how's life as a Young Blood. Everything you ever dreamed about and more, or have Carter's fart jokes started to wear thin on you yet?"

His voice was filled with sarcasm, but to some extent he was genuinely curious to see what one of their newer members had to think about the team.

[Charmera]

Nicholas Finch/Neo-Sebastian's Gym, San Diego-July 18, 2017

The Gym was about what I would expect from it, a large ring in the center some training equipment spread around, pictures adoring the walls and a stairway leading up to a office. Frankly, I had never been in a Gym like this in my life. Even in school I was in the school gym under protest. I cannot really do physical activity. So, it was always the last place I would consider hanging out. On the opposite end, Alexis seemed to be at home almost immediately. She slid herself into the ring after putting her alcohol aside and declaring a challenge to Brianna. To which Brianna seemed more than willing to oblige. As for myself I was dressed in jeans with holes in them, a plain white t-shirt and shoes that had no laces. I paced around the ring at a slow pace as Sebastian finally revealed himself, taking up Alexis' challenge and declaring she will be down in three minutes. Alexis seemed more than content to accept the bet, as she moved over to the side of the square closest to Sebastian and leaned over the ropes.

"Well it would take a gambling man to join us. But unfortunately you are about to be one Andrew Jackson poorer." She then turned her attention to Brianna.

"And as for you, I think maybe Red may like a girl who can take a punch. So, I may let you get a hit in on me after all. Or..." Her mind then seemed to go somewhere else as she seemed to be thinking about what she just said.

"Maybe he likes softer women. Either way I am not the one falling here."

Alexis, seemingly content with her opening statement with a smirk plastered on her face backed away from the ropes and moved to the opposite side of the ring as Brianna before calling out to me.

"Nick, pick a song and play it over the speakers, make sure its a long one because we need to use it as a timer. We start when the music does." So, it seems that it was left to me to pick the fight music as I lit up a cigarette and moved over to the sound system armed with my phone to search for a song that Alexis and Brianna could punch each other in the face to. But as I did so I placed my own wager.

"$40 on Alexis for five minutes." I stated just loud enough to be heard in the ring.

"I may have misread you, your alright Nicky." I could hear Alexis call behind me. I turned around with a annoyed glare at the nickname where she promptly raised her fists up in a 'my bad' statement. Chuckling to herself at the small joke. Before returning her attention back to Brianna. That left me to continue my work of picking a song to essentially time the match.

My music tastes is a bit different from that of Alexis who is a fan of rock music. Both modern and classic. As for myself, I am partial to Hip Hop, to that end, I picked I'll Hurt You by Busta Rhymes and just like that the match began.

At first I took a drag from the cigarette and observed the match, after all, I do have $40 riding on it. I figured since this was a boxing match, Alexis being a boxer, she would be the safe bet. And not only that, in order to win, all she has to do is not lose. Pretty sure she knows that. On the other hand Brianna has to actually down Alexis.

Alexis started off as I expected, moving quickly and light on her feet. Dancing around Brianna and throwing fast and light jabs, checking her defenses. But it appeared as if Alexis was avoiding trapping herself in a corner. She was in good athletic shape despite her drinking and I was certain she could dance around for five minutes.

But it became pretty clear very early on that Brianna would not make it so easy. See, she is not slow herself and is just as capable of moving quickly as Alexis is. I am no expert on this sport, but looking inside the ring now Brianna could very well just chase after Alexis and back her in a corner. It's not impossible. You have two, physically active and agile women going head to head and really it was a toss up as to who could win the bet. I took another drag of the cigarette as I now knew that I could lose $40 but I still think Alexis can hold out. Again, she does not have to defeat Brianna to win this.

After some early opening jabs, some foot work and moving about. Alexis then left an opening for Brianna to exploit which if I had to guess was to bait her into a trap. Likely to sucker punch her if she falls for it. I looked at the time. It's been a minute. Really she just needs to last longer than three I suppose. Would be surprised if she makes the full five minutes myself.

With the fighters in the ring and Busta Rhymes in the surround sound I looked over at NightRaven, who was standing by herself at the moment. She was our newest member up until just two minutes ago when Sebastian announced his membership. But it's been a week and we still know next to nothing about her, and I have only had a chance to speak to her a handful of times. That being said, I guess it is not really an issue in itself. After all, I haven't told Alexis jack all on my history and she really doesn't care where any of us come from as long as we are all on the same team. It's a bottom line that I can respect. After all, everyone has secrets. That being said, everyone else here at least knows each others name. We do not even ave that on NightRaven. Still calling her by her alias. Kinda funny since she kinda forced Alexis to pick a new alias herself. Guess the red head wears the name Raven better than Alexis does. Well, suppose we are here to hang out right? May as well talk to her while I potentially lose money.

Sulking over to her I pulled a box of cigarettes and offered one from the half empty box. I know she will decline, but really do not know how to greet anyone any other way. It's just good manners.

"I think the betting has closed." I informed her as I watched Alexis take a pretty nasty hit, causing me to wince just a bit. Not out of any concern for her face, but for my wallet.

"That may be best for you though. No need to throw money away." I finally withdrew the offered cigarettes before continuing.

"I get the idea that you might be like me. Not really your scene here is it?" As I talked to her, my eyes turned back to the ring as I finally asked the forty dollar question.

"So, between me and you, who do you think is going to win this?" I asked lighting up a fresh cigarette.

Nightraven had been simply prepared to watch the match. It was always good to watch others fight. It was a learning opertunity, and human beings were hardwired to learn based on the performance of others. She knew that from some research, but also from some of her personal experiences. She was curious about Alexis' boxing moves and Briana's viking combat. Then Nick came up towards her. She saw the offered cigarette.

"No thanks." She replied to the offer.

She looked at Alexis. Then heard Nick's first question.

"Actually I quite enjoy boxing." She replied. "Though the same goes for MMA, Fencing, Kendo, Tennis and Jousting. I like any sport which is one on one." She leaned against the wall. "Team games I like less so. I understand their appeal but I never quite got into them. Though I suppose that may have to change now for educational purposes if nothing else."

She then paused to consider the next question. "Brianna." She spoke simply. "Briana had the edge in experience and she seems the physically stronger fighter. Though Alexis is bold and opportunistic, I've learned that it's best to bet on the person with more experience if anyone." She paused. "Still, with that said, between the experienced and the bold there is always a chance the latter can win if they are but bold enough."

Nightraven sighed. "But those aren't the questions you really want to ask are they?" She asked. "Go on. Get whatever you want to ask out of your system and I'll try my best to give you some answers. I make no promises though."

[Finland SSR]

Red

---

Ellery "Shadowkill" Bastion

Carter Graystone

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

---

Red's thoughts on the training exercise made sense. He didn't have any powers, only a lot of grit, determination and an inexhaustible supply of bullets, so trying to find someone who could cover this frailty one way or another would be a good idea. Renata wasn't oblivious to the clear rivalry between Roy and Red, either, which, to her knowledge, had been going on even before she joined. As such, when the redhead finished his brief flurry of thoughts, the heroine nodded and went on a tangent of her own.

"I don't really have anyone specific I would want to battle... but I suppose I'm in the same camp for trying to find someone to cover my frailty. I can dish out damage, but I'm not as great at receiving it."

She already had a few thoughts on who might fill that role. Wyatt, the dragon boy, showed off his capabilities fairly well against the vampires in the docks, and his ability to fly would grant an important advantage to her team. Other good options were Mars, Kiris, Scott, Angelica, maybe even Roy...

Renata's thoughts had to be cut short, as a third person suddenly stepped into the room, blasting music through her headphones so loudly that you have to wonder how they haven't gone deaf already. Ellery. Followed by a fourth person, who immediately began arguing with Red over the necessity of watching world politics news. Carter. What, is the whole ensemble going to gather here soon?

Ellery was the first to speak to Renata, apologizing to her for the ice during the party. That was two days ago and she's still sorry about it?

"It's not like you had a choice, Elle, so I don't see what you need to apologize for." Renata replied, glancing a little towards the edgelordess, if that's a word, and took a sip from her coffee mug. Granted, Angelica was later able to get out of her dare, arguably a far less embarrassing one than Elle had to do... so maybe there were a few things you could blame the girl for.

Carter, meanwhile, was trying to say that sticking fingers in your ears and not hearing anything terrible about what's going on is a better alternative to being informed about world affairs and possibly find out how to change it. At least, that's how Renata interpreted it. Without bothering to look at Carter, staring into the TV screen, the heroine replied:

"Classic United Statesian thought. Indeed, who cares about everything that's going on in the world when you have a bubble to build and rose glasses to put on? But we're heroes, so-" Renata leaned back on the sofa and turned her head towards Carter, only to see it get suddenly stuffed by a waffle someone tossed from somewhere.

"Oookay, I'll pretend this conversation didn't take place." the heroine muttered to herself under her breath and turned back towards the TV.

[Aidannadia]

Then a teamate she was somewhat unfamiliar with, Tadeo, whispered to her. She listened to his comments. "That is an interesting observation, however I think I may have the answer to your conundrums." She responded in a lower tone. "I am an android who has no organic parts. As for the gentleman you have pointed to, that would be Wyatt. He hides his true form as it does not blend in well with humans. However we are well aware of this. There is no need for concern."

Tadeo was surprised to hear that the person he was speaking to was actually a robot. He looked her up and down once more, leaning a bit too close given social norms and in the process falling over the banister edge that was between them, hitting the ground with a loud thud! "Ow." He said calmly, touching the small scrape on his arm from the fall and healing it as a purple light spread across the wound and revealed a healed arm once more. "I'm surprised to hear that you're not human. I can barely tell, especially by looking at you with mundane eyes. How miraculous. Sometimes, intelligent individuals come off as robots so its hard to tell the difference as their thoughts... um.." Tad considered trying to explain the Sense in mundane terms, "float up towards the sky and disappear." He nodded to himself, satisfied trying to explain it. The magician looked out at the room once more as more people filed in towards the cafeteria.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised given your relative lack of mystical potential." He said bluntly, not realizing this could be taken as rude. "And so I would suppose that those two are similarly machines?" He pointed to Alexis and then to Mars. "They come off about the same."

Yoshiro entered the room, giving off all sorts of strangely constructed thoughts. That's strange... He looked at the Young Blood once more, a little confused. That's an old presence. But then again there is something old coming off from the Wyatt one as well. But then again again, this girl is not wearing a guise... Perhaps it isn't good to bring up. Tad dismissed the thoughts. "I hear voices in the other room but I can't sense them. There must be electronics in the walls." He frowned, recognizing the annoying hum of the electricity as it spread throughout the tower.

"So, how are you feeling this morning?" He asked, mostly making idle chatter to calm down as he became a bit anxious with the closed off room and how blind he felt in Wonder Tower.

[Finland SSR]

Warwolf facility, San Diego

---

“Oh, you guys are still alive.” Marionette’s sing-song voice interrupted Floyd and Nathan, the girl wearing a wide smile as she approached the pair. “That’s great! It really wouldn’t have been fair for Warwolf to have all the fun, don’t you think?” Coming to a stop beside them, the villain looked over the scene of devastation that surrounded them, whistling as she saw the wreckage of the crashed helicopter. With a smirk, she turned to look at her allies-of-convenience. “If you boys are quite done showing off, Mr. Compensating here is right, perhaps it would be best for us to get out before any reinforcements show up.” Marionette accompanied her words with a thumb gesturing towards Floyd.

“This was fun though, maybe we should meet up and do this again sometime?” Her eyes met Nathan’s as she seemed to offer the hero a smile that caused him to shift uneasily. “I would absolutely love to pick up where we left off, B-lister. Especially now that your powers would make things so much more interesting.” Marionette casually winked at the Young Blood, and then shot a scowl towards Floyd. “Before we were so rudely interrupted, of course.” Suddenly, Marionette paused a thought striking her. She casually appraised the two figures beside her. “Actually, what do you two call yourselves? And it better not be anything dull.”

With a brief spin, Floyd sheathed his sword and sighed upon the sight of Marionette returning to the field and bossing them around like she was the biggest head around. Isn't this fun? To have a teenage girl scold them and crack jokes at them? The swordsman turned around, hands placed back in his pockets, and replied:

“I don't have anything special to call myself with, I’m just Floyd. Not a hero, not a villain, just a superhuman for fun.”

Marionette stared blankly at Floyd for a few seconds. That was it? That was his story, his grand introduction? Sighing to herself the girl wondered if she and ever met someone who sounded so determined to make themselves mind numbingly dull. Planting a hand on her hip, the girl looked at Floyd with a smug smirk. “Floyd? Really?” She had to resist the urge to chuckle at the normalcy of it. “You have the power to cut down rows of gun-wielding enemies, leaping through walls without breaking a sweat, and a pretty neat spark-show to boot, and you go for Floyd?” Yep, there was no helping it, she was going to laugh at him. As Marionette was unable to keep the chuckle from escaping from her lips, she shook her head in dismay.

“You know, for someone who says that they're motivated by having fun, you sure know how to be a serious buzzkill.”

“I’d consider the fact that I can have fun in battle without looking like a circus clown reject a positive rather than a negative.” Floyd shot back at the extravagant girl, although his words seemed to miss the mark as Marionette casually stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Nathan watched the amusing, and somewhat unnerving, conversation warily, knowing Marionette’s temperament could turn her into a vicious killer in seconds, pitting the two against her. For that matter, the swordsman, Floyd, didn’t really seem like that stable a guy either, and Nathan quickly found himself growing uncomfortable.

The sound of rotor blades could be heard in the distance as the Warwolf reinforcements grew closer, and Marionette knew that they had come nowhere near to depleting the outpost’s own garrison anyway. Likely they were holding up inside the hospital, just waiting to strike.

“Sounds like that's my cue. I'll see you boys around, ‘kay? Try not to die in the meantime!”

Turning to begin making her way back into the anonymity of the city streets, Marionette offered the duo a wave before blowing a kiss in Nathan’s direction - a mischievous grin adorning her features.

Nathan simply responded with a blush, reminding himself again to check into a mental hospital. Taking a couple steps away from the base, Nathan couldn’t help but remind himself that his attempt at scaring Warwolf obviously hadn’t worked. He had been grossly unprepared, and could’ve been taken out easily had the others not also been there. He used to be so good at taking on Warwolf, although he normally used a much stealthier route than he had taken tonight. Still, he felt as if he had become rusty in his fight against Lycan, and the attack on the base reminded him that he had some glaring weaknesses. If he wanted to continue fighting them, he’d need allies.

“Psst,” he whispered harshly at Floyd. “You plan on doing something like this again?”

“If you're thinking about me holding your hand and beating up the eenie meanie Warwolf thugs for you, then sod off, I’m not a babysitter,” Floyd shot back, furrowing his eyebrows, reminiscing of the times when he had to look after one of the most pathetic teens in San Diego in the form of Johnny Swift. “But I’m definitely planning on doing something like this again, so if you can promise to do more than sit in your hole until the very end next time, then we can organize something.”

It really seemed like the time to leave, though. Marionette was already gone and Warwolf could counterattack at any minute now. Taking a few steps forward, Floyd got ready to leap out towards the nearest building, but he suddenly turned around, a thought nagging on his mind.

“You’re a Young Blood, aren't you? The same team as the ones from the Zoo and San Pharmaceuticals, right?” the swordsman asked. “Mind telling me how I could get in touch with the rest of you lot? Face to face.”

“Uh,” Nathan started, sighing. “I’m sort of on a side mission. The Young Bloods don’t think we should do anything about Warwolf, which I’m, uh, obviously against. But if you want to organize something, you know that McDonald’s at University and Richmond? Meet me outside there tomorrow around noon so we can talk.”

Nathan felt more than a little reluctant to give the man, Floyd, his phone number, especially since it was the one he used as a civilian as well. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the swordsman, it was just the fact that he...actually he didn’t trust Floyd, not one bit.

The sounds of the Warwolf soldiers gearing up for a counterattack grew ever louder, and Nathan knew they didn’t stand a chance. He hadn’t completed his goal of scaring Warwolf away, but perhaps with help from Floyd they could do it in the future.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess,” Nathan said, before speeding off away from the hospital-turned-base.

Floyd was left to stand alone for a few seconds, then snickered and vanished as well.

A few minutes later, a platoon of Warwolf soldiers would suddenly storm out of the facility to find the courtyard completely empty, almost lifeless. Only a dozen corpses and one downed helicopter informed the spectators what had just happened, and what to fear next.

[Segral]

Carter Graystone

Oops, apparently that came out the wrong way. As soon as the words escaped his mouth, Red and Renata jumped down his throat, saying something about "sunshine and rainbows" and "rose-goggles" and "United Statesian attitude", like Ecuador was some great, rich place full of caring and compassionate people. What a snob. Like, he got patriotism, he was a pretty patriotic guy himself, but did you have to constantly preach about how great your country was and how it could do no wrong?

But of course, he didn't say any of this aloud. He still hadn't forgotten the flash-bang from two days ago, and it was unlikely he was going to ever forget how painful that was. Better not to start wars and fights, especially since they were doing a team-building exercise, which wouldn't go well if they were at each other's throats.

However, bygones became bygones when Red flipped the channel, and the stats for last night's baseball game came on. And...it was the Twins and Yankees game! He loved baseball, he had been playing ever since he was a kid, being the best stealer and one of the best batters on whatever team he was on, and he had been on a lot of them. And the Twins were his favorite team, coming from a state right next to Minnesota, after all. He tried to watch every single Twins game he could, but he had missed the game yesterday because he went out for dinner with his parents.

"OH YES!" Carter exclaimed suddenly, his own excitement making him temporarily deaf to Red's stab at him. "YES, DOZIER...huh, FUCK!" he screeched, briefly pausing in confusion at why a plate of waffles was flying past his head, and why he heard Alexis' voice saying "Payback record something something", only for them to fly back and strike him right in the face, chocolate syrup coating his skin and batter breaking apart on contact. They were still...moist, the whole wet mixture coating every inch of his face, literally not even 48 hours after Yoshi smashed a cake in his face and Red tasered him over something that accidentally got caught in his sleeve. Why did everyone hate him so much, why did everyone like smashing things in his face, and most importantly;

"WHO THE HELL DID THAT?!"

Yes, that question, that question he exclaimed loudly without screeching so much, trying to wipe the chocolate out of his eyes. However, his mind soon connected the dots. Alexis' voice? Payback? Chocolate waffles?

...That bitch.

A string of expletives and enough death threats to make a death metal band blush escaped his mouth as he attempted to clear the chocolate of his eyes. It was so thick though, and he couldn't even see two feet in front of him. The syrup sticking to his ears didn't help either. So that left a question.

"Who won, Twins or Yanks?" he asked frantically, attempting to wipe his eyes, only to no avail as nobody answered his question. "TWINS OR YANKS?!" he asked again, much louder as he attempted to use his air powers to clear some of the gunk off of his face.

[Tomia]

Young Blood Breakfast, July 19th
As Mars ate his breakfast, he watched Kiris' interaction with Yoshi. The Alien girl was obviously hoping that Yohsi would eat from the plate in front of her. He started to realize he might have done something wrong by not acknowledging the food she had made.

Man, relationship stuff is trickier than I thought. He pondered in his mind as he thought about how he could subtly correct for his mistake.

"Can I have some sausage too Kiris?" He asked casually. "They look really tasty."

Meanwhile Roy sighed at Cass' comment. "Fine I suppose you're right. Still, I just think its weird for you to be our teammate and our butler." He commented as he ate.

When Carter was suddenly attacked by the chocolate covered waffle, Roy couldn't help but smile despite himself. That was of course until Carter started getting angry.

"Carter calm down Alexis was just playing around. And uh, the Twins won." Roy said, looking up answer to the last urgent question on his phone. Roy never had much interest in baseball, he always found soccer and basketball to be much more interesting of sports.

As the team ate together, Naja entered the kitchen as well. She sat down at the end of the table with a cup of coffee. She saw Carter with his formerly waffle covered face but didn't say anything. With her new position she realized she needed to pick her battles in order to say sane with this bunch.

"Hi everyone, I hope you rested well. Today's session should be a real work out for all of you."

[The Rebel Alliances]

Scott Green/Spectrum-Wonder Tower, San Diego-July 19th, 2017

It was neither an alarm or the rays of the sun which woke me up. But rather a gust of wind which kicked my blanket off of me in a rather due manner. The blanket was also wrapped around me, so it did not fly away. But in the end the interruption had succeeded in stirring me to my senses as my eyes adjusted to the sun. I awoke to not my own bedroom on the top floor of the tower. But instead to the top of the tower itself, on a pallet I had made on the roof. I came out here last night and did some star gazing after setting up a pallet to lay on before finally taking some sleeping pills and falling under a dreamless sleep. Yawning, I made a note of the position of the sun in the sky, mentally noting that I was dangerously close to missing breakfast. Even so, I sat there as I recounted the events of the party, despite everything, it was actually a fun experience. First order of business was wrapping up the blankets and setting them to the side in a way where they would not be blown off of the top of the Tower. Hiding my sleeping pills inside of the bundle and then grabbing my gauntlet as I stood out on the ledge of the Tower and looked over the island with yesterday replaying in my mind.

The whole event started off in a rather awkward manner, of Renata and Elle trading a ice cube via mouth. To some guys I am sure it is normally something seen as 'hot' as awkward as it was it was just pretty bizarre. After that, Wyatt singing Barbie Girl was a laugh, a funny and worth while performance. It's not every day you see a Dragon willingly sing along to Aqua. Then it went around to Carter having to wear a dress which probably stole the show, I mean, he straight up owned it. I am probably going to get along rather well with Carter. He actually reminds me a lot of how I used to be just a couple of years ago. Overall yesterday was the first actually enjoyable day I have had in some time. And this new team played a big part in that. Despite that, I am not exactly ready to rush down into the storm of friendly chatter among established friends just yet.

For someone like me, the problem with socializing with people is that they want to get to know you. Ask questions and such, which is perfectly natural. It's not as if I *never* want them to learn anything about me. Just not *now*. I'll open up more, in my own time. On the other hand, being alone leaves you with too much time to think. Especially about things you wish were left forgotten. I gave a heavy sigh as I pondered my predicament.

I could really use a donut..

With that motivation, I looked over the edge of the tower and down all twenty stories. His room was on the highest floor and yet looking down it was quite a sight. The pit that normally forms in your stomach when looking on from high places was something he had long gotten used to. I could go back into the tower and either take the stairs or the elevator to the ground floor and leave from the front exit or...

There is that other way.

Placing my beck to the ledge and holding my gauntlet in a firm grip I closed my eyes and.....let myself fall off the edge of the tower. I opened my eyes as I saw the ground rapidly approach me and I was only falling for a matter of a few seconds before I for the first time since my arrival here slipped the gauntlet onto my right hand and in an instant I lit up green as I rocketed back upwards into the sky, firmly in flight having avoided a messy death soaring over the ground in the last moments to rise high above the tower with a sharp cry of joy releasing from my lungs.

"WHOOOOO!"

With a last look behind me at the Tower I wondered if anyone saw their new teammate fall past their window or something. With a smirk, I just turned and pointed myself in the direction of the city. As I searched for the nearest donut and coffee shop.

---

About half an hour later, I was sitting on top of a donut shop eating my breakfast for the day. A glazed donut with sprinkles and a back coffee with two sugars. Finishing off my coffee I remembered we were supposed to have some sort of team training today. If I had my way, I would just fly around the city with no care but I do have responsibilities to meet. Missing out on team breakfast is one thing, but skipping a training session? Well, I should avoid that. Standing up and stretching as I lowered myself to the ground to throw away the coffee cup in a trash can before I took off again towards the tower I wondered what sort of training this would be? It will actually be the first time I feel like I am on a hero team since I arrived, as we have not really done anything since. If we are doing teams, maybe I will get to be on the robots, that would be pretty neat I thought to myself as I rapidly approached the tower.

Tommy Towers/Daybreaker-San Diego-July 19, 2017

There are many ways for a hero to get from one place to another. Some fly, others run and some teleport. A few have secret jets to fly them wherever they need to go. But then there are other heroes, those like me. Who enter San Diego on a bus. Its no big deal, I cannot expect much more as of right now. After all, it has not been that long since I left my position on the Atlanta Guardians. And I hear rumors, gossip or hear say that there are interesting things happening in this fair city. The Young Bloods, Warwolf ect have this place abuzz with news. And news makes recognition. Getting away from Atlanta meant that I have a chance to earn a name for myself. So while on my cross country trip, I have been stopping in various cities and seeing what is worth my attention. And really all I have been able to run into are some B lister villains and the occasional robbery. Not really something to pull you out of a Legend's shadow.

Walking the sun scorched streets of summer time San Diego and not finding a single incident to jump into left me with time to think about what has led me here. Just a couple months ago I was the side kick to one of the most famous heroes in the states. A man hero named Sentinel. There was a time when that was a dream come true for me. I mean, who wouldn't want to work alongside their city's most famous son? Well, over time it gets rather annoying. Whenever we stopped a evil plot, or saved a life. Nobody ever saw me, just Sentinel, the hero the main event. I was just the side kick.

And ya have to grow up sometime. I was bound to leave sooner or later, after all I am 19 now. I its high time I start working on my own anyways. That was about when my train of thought was interrupted by a order barked out by a Warwolf agent.

"Halt!" I actually kept walking, not imaging that could have been targeted at me. But when the order was repeated louder I finally turned around to face three Warwolf agents who were posted on this street.

"Don't move and put your hands behind your head." Ordered the same guy who had told me to halt. He pointed a gun at me and despite this I made no real movements other than casually lean against a brick wall of a pawn shop before one of the other agents spoke up.

"Hold on, he could be a Young Blood, perhaps we should call this in? Aren't they off limits?" The first officer nodded while the third seemed to be waiting for a consensus.

"No, they have several new rookies but we get constant updates on the roster. This guy isn't on it." It was after that that their attention returned to me.

"Did you hear my order?" I paused a moment and nodded yes.

"Yes, I do believe that I have."

"Good then you will obey it." With that I smiled and nodded 'no'.

"I see no reason to. I have done nothing wrong to warrant obeying such a command." I countered in my deep southern accent. I could not see the eyes behind the helmets of the soldiers but they slowly moved closer around me.

"Are you really starting a fight with Warwolf boy?" At this point I could have said many things. I could have told them that I was challenged by them. Or that I have not so much as raised a finger to three men pointing guns at me. But really what was the point? They were the law around here and determined to earn some cash and I was frustrated that I had found nothing to occupy myself with. So, I in my relaxed posture simply drawled out two words.

"I'm game...."

[United Kingdom of Poland]

Washington DC

Assistant Director Dan Murray grimaced as latest reports from the San Diego field office landed on his desk. The unexpected appearance of a private military company in the city, one that even The Agency wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole, had thrown the Bureau into chaos. The Director was already raising hell on Capitol Hill, for all the good it was doing him.

This report was different though, a briefing on the new superhero team that had appeared there just before this mess had all gone down. The Special Agent in Charge had apologized for how late this was coming in, with everything that had come down on the city all at once it had been put on the back burner. Apparently the new team was being mentored by his old friend Naja, and lead by her protege Roy Damon. The new team was doing its best to stay on law enforcements good side, one incident of being framed for murder notwithstanding. The agent had reported talking with the team after they had taken down a vampire run drug ring, and had been personally handed all their data by their 16 year old hacker technopath…

Dan put the file down, looking at the photo attached. It didn’t take long for him to see the small field mouse of a girl who had whimpered during their conversations a couple years ago. Taking his old address book out of his desk, he thumbed through the book before settling on a number he hadn’t used for at least as long.

“Hello.” A female voice picked up. “This is Naja speaking.”

“Naja, It’s Dan Murray. From the FBI.”

“Yes I remember you. How’s your family Dan?”

“Good. Listen I just have a question about one of the members of your new team.

“Dan,” Naja replied in a rather guarded voice. “If this is about that incident with The Mask…”

“No, this is actually about that hacker girl.”

“Wendy?” If anything, Naja’s tone seemed to get even more defensive.

“So that’s the name she’s going by now, after she deleted herself from every law enforcement mainframe that ever existed.”

“Dan,” Naja almost growled. “If this is about her past, we both know the monsters her parents were. If you are intend to drag those memories back up for her.”

“I don’t plan on doing that.” Dan replied, backpedaling as fast he could. “I was the one who recommended keeping her out of that circus of a trial after all, and I’m proud to find out my hunch was correct and she’s trying to distance herself from what her parents wanted her to become as much as humanly possible. I just wanted to let you know that if she needs a someone to talk to, you can always give my number.”

I’ll… keep that under advisement.” Naja replied before hanging up the phone.

----

San Diego

Wendy awoke far later than the others after another long night decoding and analyzing the information her and Roy had discovered the day before. Rushing through her morning routine, Wendy arrived just in time to hear Naja’s announcement.

“What session?” She sleepily asked.

[New Finnish Republic]

Red

Red had just began to get on the edge of his seat as the results of last nights game came onto the screen, when out of nowhere a plate of waffles came flying through the room and hit the aforementioned boy in the face. His reaction was, well, expected, as he screamed out a demand to find out who the culprit of the surprise attack had been. Red glanced back towards the kitchen, knowing exactly who could have done such an act, but chose to keep his mouth shut as Carter desperately tried to clear the mess out of his face.

"Who won, Twins or Yanks? TWINS OR YANKS?!"

Red returned his eyes to the screen, causing him to let out a defeated sigh as the tally showed the Twins had managed to upset the Yankees with a RBI in the last inning that won them the game. He opened his mouth to give Carter the tragic news, when Roy beat him to the punch.

"Carter calm down Alexis was just playing around. And uh, the Twins won."

Red rolled his eyes, not bothering to look back at Roy as he responded.

"Only because they got lucky!"

Grumbling underneath his breath, Red was about to try and find another channel to flip the television to when Naja appeared.

"Hi everyone, I hope you rested well. Today's session should be a real work out for all of you."

Turning the television off with the press of a button, Red got up from his seat to make his way over to the kitchen was, filling up another mug of coffee for him to sip on while he awaited for further instructions.

---

Brianna

She's fast, Brianna thought to herself as she threw a punch towards Alexis, cursing as she once more sidestepped the blow and got out of range. While she understood that the nature of their bet was for Alexis to simply make it past the time limit, Brianna couldn't help but feel frustrated as she felt like a fox trying to catch a rabbit that always stayed an inch out of reach. Given the rules, Brianna couldn't try to just tackle her and deliver blows while she had her pinned, so instead she was forced to try and trap her in the corner. While she had relative success there, she could never land a finishing blow before her opponent would find an opportunity to escape.

"Stand your ground and face me, hrafnasueltir!"

Even with the insult, Alexis continued to evade her punches, dipping out of the way of each swing with grace and agility. With the time running low, Brianna was forced to think on her feet. She opened up her previously tight guard with a subtle movement that made it appear that it was not on purpose but rather due to her tiring out, which to some extent was the case. Alexis seemed hesitant to go in, but her fighting instincts kicked in as she tried to go on the offensive for a change in hopes of ending the fight early. As her body shifted forward in preparation for an attack, prepared herself by placing her right foot a small distance behind her left. As the first blow came for her, she suddenly stepped horizontally to her left, the punch hitting the air past her head as Brianna's trailing right arm went for her chin.

Alexis, seeing this, dodged out of the way, but this only fell into Brianna's plan, as in the same motion she brought her left fist forward into a surprise left hook. The punch managed to catch Alexis in the jaw, causing her to stumble back as Brianna went on the offensive once more. Alexis's arms instinctively went to cover her head, a wise move considering the previous punch had likely caused stars to momentarily appear in her vision, but Brianna's target had already shifted. Driving forward off of her right toe, she plunged a low underhook into Alexis's exposed sides, landing a solid hit at her ribs that caused the girl to flinch in pain as she began to shift her guard once more before Brianna could continue to take advantage of her exposed area.

Dodging a feint jab likely meant to try and keep her from advancing, Brianna shifted her level and continued to strike at her lower abdomen, most of her attacks being dodged or blocked but a few slipping through her opponent's defenses. To keep her from getting too comfortable, Brianna would sporadically change her stance to take jabs at her head once more, forcing Alexis to take a mid-level defensive posture that, while able to defend blows from any level, did not have the resilience as a fully committed posture.

All while doing this, Brianna was walking her towards the corner of the ropes, her attacks unrelenting as Alexis neared the corner of the ring. Time to move in for the kill, she thought as she set up her finishing move. Dipping into a lower stance, she made the motions for another punishing kidney shot that at the time was a valid target as it was exposed more than Alexis should have allowed. Seeing this, Alexis shifted her body to the side and lowered her arms to absorb the impact, but was surprised to see the blow stop before it was even launched, her eyes widening as her eyes caught on the motion of Brianna's fist coming at a straight jab towards her chin. Unable to move her body in time, Alexis closed her eyes as she prepared to take what could very well be the knockout blow.

"Time!"

Brianna's fist froze, the tips of her knuckles only a few milimeters away from Alexis's chin, as Nick called out to them. Brianna hadn't even realized the song had ended until his annoucement, causing her to let out a frustrated groan as she brought her fist back to her side.

"Sjá fara ørendislaust."

Still, as frustrated as she was, a deal was a deal. Alexis had managed to best her, even if it was through underhanded tactics. Biting on the inside of her cheek, Brianna reached out a hand, forcing herself to speak through gritted teeth.

"You did...well, Alexis. I am forced to submit to your claims, and you shall be rewarded as promised."

[Absolon-7]

Cassandra

Tadeo

Casimir Herman July 19th

Well, Casimir couldn't say he was surprised by Cassandra's straightforward answer. Although he found it satisfactory as she probably wasn't that adept at more abstract communication.

"Well, I'm glad know that you think ya fit in the team. Thanks for the waffles by the way, I'm sure that they'll be goddamn tasty, " said Casimir as his order was brought to him. And indeed they were truly the perfect form of a waffle. Well, six waffles to be exact. Each was thickly lathered in chocolate syrup which only increased their tastiness. He swiftly devoured the waffles while occasionally taking a sip from his milk.

More of his teammates came to the kitchen and all things considered today was looking pretty relaxing. Once Casimir was done eating, he took his plate to the sink to wash it but that's when he overheard one of the new arrival talking to Cassandra. Casimir didn't like the creep vibes he was giving off. Not one bit. He looked too jittery and nervous for Casimir's liking. The guy talked like he was high off pot or something too. Maybe some questions to scope out his attitude would help me determine the degree of my dislike for the milksop, thought Casimir. Although it would have to be something Cassandra could contribute to as well since she's right next to the guy. After waiting for a lull in whatever conversation they were having Casimir decided on a question.

"Hey Cassandra and uhm new guy, since we're having training day and all, what do you two hope to gain from today's training? I for one want to see everyone push themselves to the limit to show how much the team's improved. Wouldn't mind getting to show off how badass I can be either."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

Still waiting on an answer from Yoshiro, Kirisvala heard Mars address her and turned to face the boy, a bright smile appearing on her face as she listened to his request. "Sure thing Mars." She said with a deliberately faint nod as she lightly pushed the plate towards Mars, trying to not come across as too eager. Of course, if the smile on her face didn't give it away, the sudden flailing of her tail certainly did, to those who noticed.

Alexis, meanwhile, snickered at Carter's reaction to the waffle attack, but otherwise let Roy handle it, knowing that most of the things she could say would only fan the fires, an unwise thing to do considering they had team exercises coming later today. And speaking of the devil, Naja soon walked into the kitchen with a mug of coffee in hand, bringing up the exercise scheduled for later.

"Oh, gee, I sure wonder what sort of exciting training we're going to do today!" She said with a knowing smile, only barely restraining herself from adding 'wink wink'. Having spent most of yesterday helping set up equipment for the second half of their training exercise, she was obviously in on the plan, which obviously made her giddy as she was the only one. "I sure am ready, though-" She began, only to cut herself short as she noticed Wendy walk into the room, looking pretty sleepy and disoriented. It was moments like these that made her appreciate the fact that she didn't need to sleep to function, unlike most other people.

"Guess that's a 'no' from her." Alexis said with a snicker as she looked at Wendy. Naja shot her a silencing glare and then turned towards the newcomer.

"Our training session for today, Wendy. I hope you remembered to prepare yourself for it." The team's mentor figure explained. After that, the crew soon finished their breakfast and Naja told them to gear up as if they were going on a mission and meet up outside the tower in fifteen minutes, plenty of time to prepare.

Kirisvala was one of the first few team members to arrive, having very little need to grab gear or anything of the sort. Instead, she immediately walked outside and used her Chorus of Crystal to outfit herself with her red crystal armor, albeit with a few changes: instead of simply consisting of spaulders, a chestplate and tassets covering her waist and hips, she had armguards and shinguards now, which gave the scale-less parts of her body much-needed protection without sacrificing flexibility and mobility. In addition to these, she had armor on her feet as well, and a dragon-shaped helmet to protect her head, the holes that let her horns through making it a perfect fit.

Not long after, getting closer to the fifteen-minute mark, Alexis walked out of the building her laboratory was in alongside Sam, decked out in her standard superhero outfit. A few moments later, another figure stepped out of the building, this time one much taller than a regular human. It was a mechanical creature, colored bright pink and with blue glowing energy wings on its back. Trailing behind Alexis with elegant steps, it came to a stop next to her as she arrived outside of the tower to meet her teammates, the presence of the mech likely surprising at least a few of them.

"Alright boys and girls, listen up." Naja said to the team as she walked out of the tower alongside Roy and another familiar face for most of the team, Elena. "Elena, Roy and I will oversee today's training session, but we'll try to intervene as little as possible. For some of you, the point of this exercise is to show us what you're capable of, but for the majority, today is your opportunity to see for yourselves how far you've come since the last time." She said, looking at each of the teens in front of her, as well as their adult guest.

"The first thing we're going to do today is simple, but far from easy." Elena continued from where her friend left off. "Some of you might remember the sparring exercise back at Isla de la Paz." She said as she glanced at the various people present who had not been there: Sam, Scott, Elle, Renata and, most notably, Red. "Well, this will be the same, but on a larger scale: we've randomly put together three-man squads for another round of sparring matches. Honing your skills is an important part of becoming a hero, but so is learning to work together, exploit any resources available to you and make the most out of an unforeseen situation." She explained, before taking a few steps away and pointing at three large, rectangular areas marked by tall poles looming above the grass.

"Since there's 18 of you so far, that means six teams, which means three battles will take place. As before, try not to cause any lasting damage to your teammates; beyond that, however, do everything in your power to take them down. As heroes, we are forbidden from killing except in extreme circumstances, and causing too much damage to those we stop is unadvised, so learning how to incapacitate a powerful foe without resorting to such things will go a long way in making you capable heroes." Spoke Elena, concluding her explanation.

"The first team is Makeshift, Psyche and Frostbite. They'll face off against Blizzard, Spectrum and Dhampir on the first arena." Roy stated, looking at each of the named participants and then pointing at the designated area to make completely sure there would be no misunderstandings. "Next up, Kabuto, Wi-Fi and, um, Kiris, will fight Aeolus, the Mask and Rocket." The boy continued, momentarily thrown off by Kiris' lack of a heroic alias, though it made enough sense given her circumstances. "Lastly, Stella, Alex and Bael are going up against Hechicero, Shadowkill and Cassandra on the third arena."

With the team arrangements and matchups made, Naja looked at the teens once more. "Well, that's it for now. If you have any questions speak up, and feel free to make a game plan with your teammates as well. Otherwise, get to it." She told them.

"Well, so much for working together, Mr. Blizzard." Alexis told Sam with a snicker after learning about the way teams had been arranged. After a friendly punch on the arm, she left him and walked over to her teammates, Angelica and Yoshiro, with her mecha silently trailing behind her.

"Hey there, girls!" She greeted them, before pointing up at her companion with her thumb. "This big bad girl here's called Oberon. What do you think?"

[Northwest Slobovia]

"Alright boys and girls, listen up." Naja said to the team as she walked out of the tower alongside Roy and another familiar face for most of the team, Elena. [...superpowered eliding...] "The first team is Makeshift, Psyche and Frostbite. They'll face off against Blizzard, Spectrum and Dhampir on the first arena." Roy stated, looking at each of the named participants and then pointing at the designated area to make completely sure there would be no misunderstandings.

Sam looked at each of his sparring partners in turn, matching names with faces. He flipped down the eyepiece for his suit phone, and checked what he knew about them. As usual, it varied with how publically they'd used their abilities, so their dossiers ranged from fragmentary to detailed... except for Spectrum, about whom he knew nothing. Another new super? A very sneaky super? Hm...

"Well, so much for working together, Mr. Blizzard." Alexis told Sam with a snicker after learning about the way teams had been arranged.

Sam gave her a momentary grin. "Bring it, girl."

"Hey there, girls!" She greeted them, before pointing up at her companion with her thumb. "This big bad girl here's called Oberon. What do you think?"

"Oh, that's yours??", he called to Alexis, pointing and looking surprised, then beckoned with both hands, smiling but with a mocking tone. "Yeah, bring it, Alexis! Let's see what you and your wind-up power suit can do!" I wonder what the hell it can do. Guess I'm about to find out.

[The Republic of Atria]

He was relieved when Roy confirmed that they would not be going anywhere to train since Naja didn't want them to leave the city. Which was perfectly fine with him, he liked the city despite the giant mess it was. After finishing his breakfast, he relaxed for a few minutes until Naja called them all to the yard, explaining that they were going to be breaking into teams and fighting each other. Wyatt couldn't stop from smiling a bit, but his tail gleefully swung back and forth at the prospect of getting to spar. He didn't want to admit it, but he had played out some of the fights between him and the rest of the team in his head. Some he won, others he lost, but he was only going on information he had that was almost certainly out of date. They would have to be run again after this, taking their and his new abilities into account.

The teams were selected by Naja, he was going to be working with the new kid, Alex and Renata. The former hadn't yet really explained or shown his power yet, but he knew Renata's well enough. For all intents and purposes it was laser beams. She explain it in much more depth than that, but whenever he saw her fight it was by shooting lasers at everything. "Alright. This can work. We've got range, flight, some utility and a wild card." He started to his team. "Alex, I know you said your power was hard to explain, but you've had enough time to give a summary of how it works or what it does. No one else here knows what you can do, but we very much need to know. It'll be much easier to plan and figure out the best way to apply our strengths to cover our weaknesses."

"Renata can explain her power better than me, but the short version on my end is that I can make constructs, fly, and I've got super strength." He explained. Yes, there was much more to it than that, but for the sake of time he gave the short version. "Renata, it's pretty simple what we should do. You hammer away at them from a distance, and if they get close, I give them a solid thumping. They've got the other new guy... Tadeo I think his name was. Elle, who's a lot like Red in that she relies on guns and such rather than her powers, and Cassandra, who's actually kinda scary and probably the biggest threat. She's probably like Renata and I thrown together. So she should be taken out as soon as possible. Alternatively, we can take out the other two as fast as we can and gang up on Cassandra."

A loose plan, better that way. Details would only get fudged as time went on and they would need to work around unexpected occurrences, but it never hurt to have a basic idea of what they were going to do

One thing he had worked on getting over was his distaste for violence. Sure, he still didn't like it, but was far more comfortable with the idea of using it than he was a few weeks ago. Thanks in large part to Kaban and his own determination. Plus the new trick he'd been working on with Onu and Kaban was sure to be of use.

For once, he couldn't wait to get into the fight.

[The Rebel Alliances]

Alexis Cain/Vendetta-Sebastian's Gym, San Diego-July 18th, 2017

The seconds crawled past at a snail's pace. And the fight quickly falling into a very predictable pattern after barely a minute in. I was forced into a strategy of staying out of reach and dancing around her strikes. Which, I was able to do. I am used to fighting under these conditions, in a ring or out of a ring. Boxing hand to hand with no spear or shield. This type of combat is no doubt something that Brianna is as used to. Sure, I can win simply by not losing, but that is not really the point.

I want to hit her. Not because I dislike her or anything like that. Quite the opposite. But to in some small way prove that I am useful here in some respect. If I cannot even land a few solid blows on her when the rules of the fight are literally stacked against her, then what good am I? It wasn't just about winning. It was about proving something to no one other than myself.

So, as our fight progressed, I made sure to keep my back away from the sides and corners, swiftly bouncing from left to right and hoping that a opening would present itself. She cursed at me. Good, I am getting to her. Keep a clear head Alexis. My opening will present itself. Brianna is better than me, she knows she is better than me. If I keep evading her, I will dig into her pride. She will slip up, and I will be there to dig the metaphorical knife in.

Sorry Brianna, nothing personnel. But I fight to win and...there it is!

The opening that I have been waiting for. Her guard loosened up and now is my chance to go on the offensive. I moved in swiftly and aimed a punch but my eyes went wide in some surprise as my fist hit nothing but air as Brianna sidestepped me. It was a feint? Immediately I looked for the inevitable counter attack and surely it came. A blow aimed straight at my chin. I caught it in time and so managed to dodge it successfully, frustrated that I still have yet to land a solid punch on my teammate. But it wasn't over.

A left hook I did not see coming in my rush to avoid her first strike caught me straight in my jawline, some spit being expelled from my mouth as I tasted a small amount of blood from my tongue. I fell backwards, my arms shooting up to my face to protect myself based off of reflex and I was punished swiftly by a blow delivered to my ribs. I was certain that nothing was broken, but it hurt like hell. I must have really pissed Brianna off with my evasion game. Again, my guard dropped to the abused area and retaliated by throwing a jab meant to keep the viking warrior at bay. This had little effect however as I was forced in a losing defensive battle as I guarded against a barrage of incoming strikes. Blocking several, evading a few and yet missing other which reached past me and scored more hits. What was worse was that Brianna had managed to keep me guessing and forced me into a middle guard. Which essentially translated to I had no idea what the hell was coming.

The struggle to simply defend myself had finally managed to keep me from noticing where the battle was directing me, straight into the corner of the ring. By the time I realized it, it was too late. Brianna was going for another kidney blow, and I was not going to allow it to connect, I moved to avoid and block it but knew that when the jab ceased before it began I had made a mistake. Brianna's true attack launched like a cannon move to assault my chin I closed my eyes as I was about to be knocked squarely on my ass and lose a dead president. But the blow never came.

I had finally timed out.

I opened my eyes t be greeted with the sight of Brianna's fist right next to my face and the music gone. I had won. But rather my mind flashed back to the night in the Cathedral. Of Marionette choking the life out of me only to be stopped by the arrival of a bunch of teen heroes. It's the same damn thing. I was not the only one frustrated by this, as Brianna visibly groaned and declared me the winner of our bout. Offering her hand.

I tasted the blood in my mouth and recalled the fight in my head. I know Brianna is better than me. It's why I set the fight up as I did. But in all of the mental reels of me replaying the fight. I did not land a single solid blow...in five minutes. In terms of a battle, five minutes is an eternity. Finally, I accepted her hand shake as I spat some blood onto the floor outside the ring.

"Reward...I'll settle for a drink." I remarked as another song had started on Nick's play list keeping the party going. As for myself, I slid myself out of the ring. Grabbed my Bacardi and simply opened the top and took a swig from the bottle. No glass necessary. I sat myself down on the bleachers and felt my heart rate slowly decrease from the fight. Not even thinking about the few extra spending dollars that would be coming my way.

But having left Brianna in the ring, I realized that I wanted to talk to her. Girl to girl. So, I lifted up the bottle of rum and waved her over. "Brianna, share a drink with me would ya." I waited there on the bleachers until she made her way over and I offered her a drink of the rum. As I just started speaking my mind.

"You had me cold in there....you know that right?" I did not wait for a response, because we both knew that she did. The question was entirely rhetorical. "Just between you and me. Do you think this team needs me? Be honest..." I knew that this must have been a shock to the world of Brianna, seeing a side of Alexis that did not act as if it could take a gut shot from the world and get right back up and return the favor. To see a side of me that frankly, she hasn't yet. But its been crawling all over me lately.

"Before you answer, just let me vent a bit...OK?" I requested with a soft sigh. Before continuing. "Nick is a genius who can frankly we would all be lost without. I certainly do not need a degree to know that he more than pulls his weight and he never leaves his chair. NightRaven over there could be a A class assassin. Sebastian is a walking tank and you?" My face then turned to hers to look her in the eyes after taking another drink.

"I do not know where you came from or what your story is but you remind me of one of those damn Spartans in that movie. I am not very smart. I am not the fastest. Certainly not the strongest and...and..." I picked up the handgun I had brought along with me to evidence my next point.

"The only power I have can be purchased for twenty bucks on a certain street corner I know and is useless when you run out of ammunition." Finally getting to the heart of the matter I took a moment to look at Nick and Nightraven talking to themselves and Sebastian on his way down from his perch. Before finally speaking up again. My tone of voice low.

"I see this incredible team of people I have gathered with all of their talents and then see how I measure up. And I have to wonder...what am I even doing here?" With all of that said, my head leaned over on Brianna's shoulder. From the exertion from the fight, the headache from taking Brianna's punch to the head and the alcohol in my system.

Nicholas Finch/Neo-Sebastian's Gym, San Diego-July 18th, 2017

I multi-tasked juggling both listening to NightRaven and watching the bout between Alexis and Brianna with growing concern for my money. As Raven listed off that she too was a physical bad ass I had to wonder if we secretly had a standard of only accepting women who could out fight most men. She then confirmed that perhaps Brianna was the wiser bet. But something told me that my cash was not lost quite yet. Even with the match going down hill for Alexis, I know better than most than to count the girl out. Ever since she approached me outside of my room that day I knew she had good instincts, and that she is a fighter. "Alexis could surprise you." I mused, indeed hoping that she would. One, I like being right and two, I dont want to give up forty dollars. It was not long however before NightRaven began to suspect an ulterior motive for the conversation.

I really could not blame her. It would make sense. People naturally want to learn about others. It's human nature. And while it would be nice to be able to call her something other than NightRaven or Raven, I really had no ulterior motive, After all I do not plan on spilling all of my secrets or past either. Least of all now, why should I expect her to?

"Actually small talk is nice. Hear it lowers stress." I commented joking. But after I got more serious.

"Honestly, I have no motive here really. I mean sure, being able to call you something simpler than NightRaven would be cool. But really, If your not comfortable with that I am sure it will come in time. You see Alexis? I know nothing about her past really. I mean, I could find out. I am sure her secrets are all buried somewhere online. But I have left them alone. And the only one here I know in any depth is Brianna, and I would not spill her past any more than she would. My point is you don't need to feel pressured to expose yourself around us than you want to." I cast the cigarette stub away and snuffed it with my shoe. Then immediately lit up another one. I then figured it could not hurt to practice some of what I preached, so I started to grease the wheels a little bit.

"I have no idea what you expect to get out of this team. But its...something valuable to me. Just a few weeks ago I was alone. No friends and no relatives. But here with people like Alexis and Brianna, I feel like I belong somewhere for the first time in my life. Maybe this team will become something very different for you. I don't know. Just know that whenever you feel ready to open up a little bit one of us will be around. Even if it isn't me."

The fight was over now, and I was satisfied that I had not lost on my bet. I then coyly added a bit.

"Well, I will have a few extra bucks. Guess you were right after all, never underestimate the under dog."

Scott Green/Spectrum-Wonder Tower Training Grounds-July 19th, 2017

Well, training day is starting. I stood with all of the other Young Bloods and well...some non Young Bloods. I did not recognize any of the trainers that I could recall minus Roy and Naja of course. I stood with my gauntlet on my right hand and deactivated. So I appeared in a Star Wars t-shirt and blue jeans with the addition of a alien gauntlet. I looked around at the various teams that have formed. For most of my new teammates, they would be with someone they were familiar with. Especially for what appeared to be the opposing team. I have not been here long, but I have been here long enough to see that those three girls were friendly with each other. As for my own teammates it appeared that I was not even given the benefit of having teammates who I have seen before. In fact, one of them I am rather certain is not even a Young Blood. Blizzard, I think they called him. Obviously he is a cryokinetic hero. One approaching a mid life crisis. I scratched the back of my head as I gave a sigh looking around and seeing Cass and Renata in their own teams. I at least had conversations with Renata. And Cass was a robot, that was just cool. If these teams were actually random then Alexis, Yoshi and Angelica hit the jack pot. But seeing that giant mech standing next to Alexis I mentally groaned at the sight.

I just know I am fighting the anime mech.

I shook my head. It's no big deal. This is just training. I can get to know my team all the same. I'll just be doing that while hitting them with constructs formed from alien technology. We will be working together on the same side for a long time in the future. Hopefully. What struck me as odd was seeing Blizzard here...well not exactly here as in here as there is Naja and Elena. But here as in actually training with us in the field. He is not a Young Blood, kinda fails the young part of that. And it seemed it would make more sense to train alongside allies we would actually be working with in the future.

Nothing against Blizzard, I am certain he is a accomplished hero and from what I have gathered he has worked with the YBs before. But he could be gone tomorrow and having me train alongside him rather than say Carter could be counter productive if I am more familiar with a hero who is not there than my established team.

But then flipping the perspective around I suppose this works with training us to adapt to the unexpected. His experience I am sure trumps most of ours, and at first I thought it would be seen as stacking the fight against whomever he faces. But again flipping that it also works in the goal is to train us to adapt to fight someone more experienced than us. Really, I suppose it doesn't matter what they were thinking. He is here and he is on my team.

After that I got a look at my other teammate. Whom again, I failed to recognize. I gave a sigh as I looked her over and finally connected the dots. Wait a sec, is that the girl who brought blood as a birthday gift? Vampire girl? I have a non YB and a Vampire on my team. Well, OK, I have seen some movies a few years ago. Creepy aside, Vampires are pretty skilled. Supposed to be anyways. And Blizzard has to have experience. All in all, even if this is the last line up I ever expected to land it may not be so bad. In fact, we could have a pretty good chance at winning this.

And that brings me back to why I am here. On this planet and on this team. I have to finally show what I can do. I was alone back on Aeon, but here I am part of something larger. I need to be able to contribute to it. And if I can manage to defeat a couple established members, then I should be able to secure my position here. I don't know if they have a process of booting members who fail, but I have no where else to go. Finally, we made it to the training area and I was out of ear shot from everyone minus Dhamphr and Blizzard. Having my opponents in the dark about what I can do is a advantage. But my team? I will need to fill them in.

Rather than activate my gauntlet and expose my abilities to everyone with functional vision I decided to simply keep my voice lower and tell them verbally. Then surprise the enemy on the other side when the match starts.

"I can guess at what the two of you can do with your alias. So we have a ice manipulator and a Vampire." I then lifted my gauntlet just slightly and explained. "I have no powers. Everything I can do comes from my gauntlet. I won't pretend to know how it functions at it's core. But it is fueled by emotions, I know that much. It allows me to form hard light constructs limited only by my imagination. I can fly, shoot beams, form constructs for whatever or make shields to protect those around me. Not only that, but it's powers alter depending on what emotion is powering it." I paused a minute to allow what I just informed them to sink in. "Green is powered by Courage, and it seems to be the swiss army knife. Allowing flight and pretty much everything I just said a moment ago. Compassion encases me in blue light. Its a defensive mode, which creates the strongest shields this thing can manage, and has he added ability of healing my allies. I am also encased in a slightly stronger shield myself...." My voice trailed off as I considered telling them of the other modes I discovered back on Aeon....rage....fear....and possibly others.

But I decided that I was not necessary information for the time being. "That is basically it. Maybe...we can use the fact that they have no idea what my gauntlet can do. I could maybe charge the field and activate my gauntlet in a surprise strike. Either that or we play it safer. I can take to the skies and support you from the air. I am not used to working in a team." I commented nodding to Blizzard.

"I am assuming that you have experience leading teams? What do you think?" I asked, deciding to just trust that Blizzard knew what he was doing. Because if my track record on Aeon has anything to show...

I sure as hell don't.

[Bentus]

Yoshiro
Wonder Tower, July 19th

---

Kiris greeted Yoshiro the moment she stepped into the kitchen, the high-energy of the alien immediately bringing a smile to the telepath’s face. The offer of a steak for breakfast caught her off-guard however, even if it was coming from Kiris. Catching herself, Yoshiro ignored the slight unease in her stomach at the prospect as she saw the amount of effort that her friend must have put into making the food. Smiling sheepishly, Yoshiro was about to accept the offer despite her misgivings when she caught Kiris casting a quick glance in Mars’ direction. Confused for a moment, Yoshiro watched as the boy-genius filled up his plate with a helping of Cassandra’s waffles. Realisation struck her like a ton of bricks, and she immediately felt a stab of sympathy for the other girl. Unsure of what to do about the situation, Yoshiro was about to try to make some thinly-veiled way to pass her food off to the focus of Kiris’ attention when the boy seemed to realise his earlier mistake.

Content to see that things had worked out, Yoshiro offered Kiris a knowing smile. “I think I’m fine with waffles, thanks though.” The telepath paused for a moment. “Although I think Mars isn’t even going to leave a scrap for anyone else, anyway.”

Walking over towards Cassandra, Yoshiro hesitated at the robot’s blunt response to her offer. Shifting uneasily, the telepath tried to ignore the off-putting aura that was emanating from the girl’s artificial mind. Rubbing the back of her head, Yoshiro did her best not to give away how uncomfortable talking to the team’s resident robot made her, or how hard she’d been trying to find excuses whenever she may have otherwise needed to talk to her.

“Um, sorry - I just meant that I was going to take it to the lounge.” Not wanting to leave an awkward silence, Yoshiro hastily added. “Though, I can also eat in the kitchen if you’d rather - I mean, you clean up after us and all that so I wouldn’t mind if it’s easier for you.” Scowling, the telepath realised that she was rambling. Inwardly, she wished the robot would just give her the food and she could be done with it. She could feel another presence shifting around in the back of her thoughts, almost aligning itself in agreement with her own discomfort towards Cassandra.

Ignoring it, Yoshiro forced herself to offer her teammate a friendly smile. It wasn’t her thought, she knew it wasn’t. Cassandra was simply programmed the way it was, she couldn’t help if it just all came across to the telepath as being so painfully fake.

---

“Hey there girls!” Alexis was wearing her usual, cheeky smirk that just screamed that she was feeling pleased with herself. She gestured idly to the faceless humanoid suit that walked calmly beside her. “This big bad girl here's called Oberon. What do you think?"

Yoshiro’s jaw dropped to the floor as she stood speechless, her eyes glued to the winged-armour that towered over the trio. Realising that her shock was only going to boost Alexis’ already not-unjustifiably-inflated ego, she grinned at the technopath. They had all known that the younger girl had been working on some kind of project behind the scenes, especially after the revelation that she didn’t even need to sleep like the rest of them, but the sight of the giant robot still took Yoshiro’s breath away. Wow, she’s really something. Not that I’m going to tell her that, though.

“Wow, Alexis! She looks awesome.” Appraising the robot, Yoshiro couldn’t help but keep a childish smile from her features. Here she was, looking at a giant, winged suit that one of her friends had cooked up. How on Earth did her life end up with her here? “Though do you think you’ll be able to cut Rocket down to size? It would be fun to see Mars’ expression if you get a chance to beat him.”

Having changed into her supersuit, Yoshiro kept her domino mask in her pocket for now. Usually she was apprehensive about fights, and the memories of her helplessness while sparring Angelica during the last official team training session were still fresh in her mind. But now, she felt more than ready and was itching for the chance to show her friends how far she'd come since then. Inferno, and then Gaul, Yoshiro knew that she could show them that she could contribute, help them win even. Glancing over to the two other girls, Yoshiro couldn't help but feel like she must have gotten the luck of the draw. Of all of the team, she felt like she could count these two as some of her closest friends despite the relatively short amount of time they'd really known each other. If they fought together, the others wouldn't stand a chance.

[Finland SSR]

Wyatt

Alexa, play Despacito

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

---

As it turns out, the team didn't really have much time for leisure after the breakfast was done and dealt with. Not long afterwards, the team was called to a meeting outside, where they were greeted by Roy, Naja and the famous explorer Elena Galadera, who, as far as Renata knew, had been recruiter to help with team training some time ago. To think that she is a part of a team which is such a big deal that they can get the help of such famous heroes... That's got to be something, isn't it?

Much like the heroine predicted, the training was going to be, as someone versed in gaming lingo would put it, PvP. The team was randomly assigned into six squads, which would have to duke it out in three matches against an another squad. Not a bad idea for a training exercise - a chance to both improve individual fighting style as well as teamwork capabilities. The team Renata was assigned to wasn't bad either - Wyatt, the dragon-boy she had already gotten a chance to fight alongside in the Blood campaign, and Alex, a wildcard newbie. Good news just keep coming!

Renata leaned on a nearby wall with her hand placed on her chin while Wyatt explained his thoughts on what their plan could be for this battle.

Right, so we'll be facing Ellery, Tadeo and Cassandra.

Ellery is more or less your standard gunhead hero, all things considered, although not unpowered either. Me and her are our teams' respective ranged offense, so I'll have to keep tabs on her as much as I can.

Cassandra is a robot fighting machine and Wyatt considers her to be the biggest threat, although I personally haven't seen her battle yet. If she is an android, then I can let myself be a little more loose against her. Average people can't take a concentrated beam of sunlight, but something made out of metal can endure it.

I'm not sure on what Tadeo can do, I don't think I've even seen him before. The same can be said for Alex, though... So I suppose I can't dismiss the need to change our plans while in the middle of the fight, depending on what Tadeo throws at us.

"Right, that sounds like a plan, Wyatt," Renata replied as soon as the dragon boy concluded his analysis. "The arena we'll be fighting is flat and doesn't have any cover, so it promotes direct confrontation - I suppose it wouldn't hurt to start the battle offensively and try to catch the other team off-guard, then?"

I wonder if I could ride Wyatt into battle. You know, on his back while he flies above the battlefield?..

...That's a strat for another time.

Renata then turned towards Alex. Right, she needs to explain her powers to the new guy. Tiny sparks of plasma were already popping in and out of existence above her right palm - the heroine was applying a little infrared radiation between her fingers as preparation, the radiation energizing air molecules and heating them up as it went.

"Alright, so, Alex, I have a quantum metastable body, which, long story short, allows me to absorb and reemit all types of electromagnetic radiation. In practice, however, I only have access to infrared and visible light, so I can fire lasers, blind people or heat up air to turn it into plasma, just as a few examples. Lots of power from afar, not as much when they're up close."

[Northwest Slobovia]

Sam Croft/Blizzard
Young Bloods Training Grounds
July 19th

"Everything I can do comes from my gauntlet. [...] Green is powered by Courage, and it seems to be the swiss army knife. Allowing flight and pretty much everything I just said a moment ago. Compassion encases me in blue light. Its a defensive mode, which creates the strongest shields this thing can manage, and has he added ability of healing my allies."

Sam listened with fascination to Scott's description of his gauntlet, his eyes shifting to keep the gauntlet, rather than Scott's face, in view as he shifted position. But he decided not to say what was on his mind: What's it do with the other emotions: anger, curiosity, lust? Doesn't know or won't say? Hm...

"I am assuming that you have experience leading teams? What do you think?"[/color]

Sam shook his head. "Other sorts of teams, but not superheros. There might be three or four other active, adult heroes in San Diego. Maybe. Besides Naja and your other mentors, that is, and they don't hit the streets much."

"What do I think?" Sam looked over Scott's shoulder for a few seconds as he mulled the little he knew about the Young Bloods. "We need a plan. The element of surprise gives us a momentary advantage, but combined with total offense means that we can keep them off balance." Sam looked over the other team. "But surprise works both ways... Alexis was holding out on me: I was just talking to her, and she didn't even mention having a fairy costume, much less what it could do. But if we double-team her, we might be able to take her out of the battle, letting my ass cash the check my trash-taking wrote.

"Frostbite's an ice user, but just an ice user: she's more flexible with ice than I am, but she doesn't have my range of other abilities. I could, for instance, make this a five-on-three game. I've got a couple of friends who like it cold." Sam gave Scott a sly grin. "But we'd have to play defense for a while for me to pull that off."

"And Psyche... mind powers, but besides that, I don't know much about..." Uh-oh! Sam's expression darkened, his brow furrowed, and he looked at Scott with narrowed eyes. "I hate to ask, but what does your glove do with fear or anger?"

[The Knockout Gun Gals]

Park In-hyun
July 19, Wonder Tower

After whatever happened to the blood, the next day, Park woke up already. Even though she drank blood, as she is a dhampir, her body conditioning also has some of the human parts and thus she required human food, though not always and not every time. She took two waffles and a blood juice on her side, all for herself. Naja came, told them about the next training session after the raid. The vampire raid, she nodded along.

It was a three-people fight. She hoped she joined with Wyatt, she already get along with him and there will be no problem in fighting with him. Against him, however, she might tried a different approach. Some kind of more aggressive and with super speed of hers, along with the gun and sword fight. Gunkata, as some said. Soon she met with Blizzard and Spectrum. She learned that Blizzard had some sort of experience, while Spectrum is....Spectrum.

"I can get close to anyone, and strike them with heavy attacks. Not just simple sword and gun fight, I can be a little bit more aggressive, using my super speed, super strength. Basically I can try to throw all kinds of attack to one of them and keep them busy and tiring. But that's just some kind of suicidal strike. Can also try for a super speed and strike attack as well. I can keep two busy, but vampires and humans with powers are two different things. I can keep vampires busy and longer, but humans with powers? Well, that's just different," Park said, to both of them.

[Absolon-7]

Casimir Herman July 19th

----------

Soon after, Naja gave the signal that it was time to finish up and that they had 15 minutes of prep time. Plenty of time to get into his outfit as well as to order the insects he had on the throughout the island to gather near him. He bid farewell to the new guy and Cassandra before rushing to his room to gear up. Getting into his suit was pretty swell. he hadn't put it on since the vampire raid and Casimir was goddamn proud of cleaning spot free. There was not a single speck of blood or debris anymore and it looked good as new sans a few abrasions that could never be repaired from a spat earlier in his heroics career. Getting dragged on the ground at horse level speeds tends to do that.

He traveled to the assigned training area and spotted several of his teammates already there. Kiris was decked out in a cool crystal armor and Alexis had a new pink mecha with her which he hadn't seen before. This training session was now a group combat one instead of the individual sparring matches of last time. Excellent! That would make fights vastly more entertaining to be in. All the variables, factors, choices, and moves in normal fight would be multiplied by six whole individuals! His team was compromised of Wendy, who'd be invaluable against the techies of the team, and Kiris, who could both be excellent support or be great on the offensive, so not a bad team at all. Taking a look at where the two of them were Casimir first walked to Kiris. Meanwhile he took a quick roll call on his insects, there appeared to be satisfactory number of them. Plenty to obstruct a person's head and to gross them out. Half of the swarm was made up of flies while the rest was a random assortment of beetles and other insects. Yes, they would definitely be sufficient.

"Hey, Kiris. Excited for the training? I sure as hell am," gleefully said Casimir. "Let's go get Wendy. She's right over here I think." It wasn't like Casimir was guessing where she was. He had eyes everywhere in the training area at the moment. There wasn't any movement that the opposing team could make that he wouldn't know about.

[Segral]

Carter Graystone

Eventually, Carter managed to clear enough gunk off his face and ears to hear the sweet words of sacred holyness that came out of Roy's mouth;

"Uh...the Twins won."

Glorious.

With a victorious shout, he leapt to his feet, doing an on-the-spot war dance out of excitement, yelling several insults directed towards the Yanks while simultaneously cussing at Aaron Judge for being a "wet-nosed prick", among other more vulgar terms. It was odd, he wasn't a particularly foul-mouthed person, but he seemed to be swearing like a sailor today. Maybe he was just nervous for the training exercise. And a little excited. He had been working his ass off to improve after his little freeze at Sans Pharmaceuticals, and he wanted to show everyone he had more inside of him. Maybe then they would stop making him the butt of every joke, even if he sometimes earned it.

This excitement only seemed to boil over at Naja's entrance, telling everyone to meet outside the tower in fifteen minutes. Meaning, the training was so close he could taste it! Letting out a celebratory whoop, he sprinted right out of the room, completely forgetting to chew Red out for his little smug Yankee-superiority remark, acting like the stupid ginger Northern racist he was. Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but anyone who insulted the Twins was only encouraging it!

Racing with a gusto into his room, he first ran to the bathroom, turning the taps on until a nice, hot water was pouring out of the faucet. Wiping a copious amount on his face to clean off any remaining waffle, he grabbed one of those shower brushes, scrubbing his face clean and wiping it with a small, slightly dirty towel. It had been a while since he cleaned the towels...or anything in his room for that matter, but that could wait.

Rushing into the main bedroom, he roughly grabbed his rollerskates off their peg on the wall, unlacing them and shoving his feet in, the insides perfectly molded in the shape of his foot. Smooth as silk. Quickly buckling them up, he began to roll towards the window and the shelf near it, a tune on his lips. He grabbed his helmet, a helmet which he had plated with a little bit of steel that he had, ahem, borrowed from the lab, off the top of the shelf, strapping it on in a seamless motion. Quirky, but it fit the look. But something was missing...

Rolling over to the closet, he thrust it open, his superhero costume with the name "Aeolus" stitched above the breast pocket, a name he had come up with while reading a Percy Jackson book. Turns out stupid fictions about Greek gods did come in handy! But the blazer was not what he was looking for. The mask was. The halved mask, visor and tubes that he had charred his mattress making.

Perfect.

---

To those outside Wonder Tower, it may have seemed like something, or someone had fallen out of the window. And indeed, someone had. However, instead of shrieking out of fear, living daylights scared out of them, the person seemed to be whooping with the glee, and shouting...no, screaming something at the top of their lungs.

"HELLOOOOOOOOO, YOUNG BLOODS!" the boy shouted, mimicking Captain Quake's line at the zoo, even getting the rough accent down to a tee. It seemed like the free-fall was never going to stop, but slowly but surely, a gust of buffeting wind seemed to blow up off the ground, almost cushioning the boy's fall. And slowly but surely, the boy came to a complete halt just inches off the ground's surface, hovering as if suspended by a telekinetic force, before promptly falling on his back.

Not the most graceful finish, but it made an impact.

Straightening up, the boy got to his feet, slightly complicated by the rollerblades, revealing a shock of long blonde hair and a manic grin only belonging to one man; Carter Graystone.

"What's goin' on boys and girls?" he started, only to be cut off by Naja's team listing. He was a little worried about who he was gonna be put with. He had wanted someone like Nathan, Mike, or Amir as his first choices, but they were all doing their own thing and couldn't make it for the training. Other than that, there wasn't many people he had good chemistry with. Wyatt and him worked well together for sure, and Kiris was someone who could definitely compliment his style, but that was it. Those were the only people he could really synergize with. Hopefully, he would get a least one of those two...please?

Unfortunately, the prayer was not answered, as he got put with...Mars and Red?! How the hell was an aeromancer supposed to synergize with a dude in mech armor and a dude with too many guns?! He wasn't at the stage where he could speed up bullets immensely, even if he could speed or slow them down a little, and he wasn't sure what the hell they wanted him to collaborate on with Mars. And worse, they were still slacking off and being lazy, late arrivals, so he couldn't even plan! Worse still, everyone else seemed to get awesome teams, Frostface got to go with her girlfriends, Park, Scott, and that Blizzard dude all became one power trio, and the cannons of Renata, Wyatt, and that Alex dude got to join together?!

This would be a loooong day.

[New Rob Halfordia]

Wyatt

Alexa, play Despacito

Alex was all and all pretty happy with who was on his team. He had spoken to Wyatt briefly and he seemed like and he seemed like an okay guy. He hadn’t interacted with Renata, but she seemed alright too. He listened intently as they talked about their powers. They clearly had a pretty deep understanding of how they worked. Wyatt could make metaphysical constructs, in conjunction with super strength and of course flying. Renata could manipulate plasma, and had a myriad of uses for the ability itself.

“I’ll do my best to explain mine, but I’m not entirely sure on the specifics.” he said, holding out his open right palm, “You see, basically I can create kinetic energy with any part of my body, and control how it’s dispersed. Think of them as explosions, minus the fire. Whether I have it come out of my fists, feet or even just my whole body. Here watch this.”

As he said this, his palm started to crackle and pop, as suddenly tiny shockwaves started going off like firecrackers. Closing his palm, small amounts of smoke started to seep from in between his fingers.

“So far the biggest thing I’ve tested it on was decent sized boulder, and there wasn’t much of the boulder. Not that I’ll have to do anything like that here since we’re not really trying to kill each other.” he said with a chuckle, “But one thing I should mention is that I can only use them with close range attacks. If I try to use my power at range I can’t really control it at all, and I don’t think that’d be good for anyone.”

[New Neros]

The Labyrinth
Return

Mar and Gaul arrived back at base in less than perfect shape, Legion waiting for them in the teleportation room, his dismay apparent despite lacking a face to show. Gaul laid himself out flat against the cool floor, sighing slightly while Mar scoffed at him, turning to face Legion in full. "I imagine you saw some bits and pieces, but I have mostly the full story." Mar began, weakly smirking, "A Young Blood followed him for several blocks, and when he confronted her, things got ugly." Legion was nodding along to the explanation, Mar finding difficulty in adapting her story to suit his demands. "She was a telepath, hard counter to Gaul. He didn't stand a chance." She teased, Gaul letting out a snore, while Legion looked over at the hunk of meat.

"That is sub-optimal." He replied, "Because I was about to call both of you back for a mission, and now it looks like I'm down a man."

Mar perked up a bit, "What do you have in mind?"

---

Tenth Avenue
Fall Titan

Cannon stretched tall and cracked his back apart, sending a shutter down Mar's own spine as the feeling must have been orgasmic, but she still looked over the muscular man as he seemed relaxed and steady, the night air slightly breezy, easing away the heat of the day. Mar had to admit, Cannon was one of the more deadly members of Orion, but on the outside and if you didn't know what he was capable of, he seemed like a regular person as he scrolled through his smartphone. He caught her eyes watching over him, causing him to smirk a bit. "Don't get the wrong idea, Jason."

"Wasn't planning on it, Punk." Cannon replied quickly, "Not sure if we've ever worked together before. Is there something we're missing, something I'm doing wrong that I should know about?" He asked sarcastically, knowing that this mission was straightforward and direct, with little time to prepare or plan it out, it was a perfect fit for Cannon, rushed and all about action.

"Nile's told me stories, but I was just thinking about how normal things could be."

"Yeah, where we didn't have to jump fuckers like their cars' dead, right?" Cannon replied as Mar nodded, but he snapped quickly. "That is normal for me, sweetie. You and me, we don't see the same, we haven't seen the same shit in our lifetimes." He stated, Mar closing her eyes and rolling them behind her eyelids as Cannon went off into his monologue. "I grew up around a lot of people who weren't my homies. I got my ass whooped through elementary and middle school and came home to an ass whoopin' because I got my ass whooped, up until I was the one putting people in comas, until I was the one bouncing peoples' heads off the concrete. I just realized that, no matter what pain they put me through, if I could still blink, breathe, anything, I could get back up, grab the nearest object, and smash them as hard as I fucking could." He sighed deeply, remembering his rough upbringing, "That was before my powers. My anger had always been explosive, and now? Now it's really explosive," He said with a laugh, "But I got caught up, some things happened, and now no one wants to hire a felon with on-record powers that give nothing to society."

"Especially someone like him." He said, getting up from his seat quickly as Mar's eyes shot open, hissing at Cannon.

"The hell are you doing? He's supposed to show up soon, if we cause any commotion, we're blown, sit the fuck down, hey! Jason!" She yelled in vain, Cannon storming forward and moving through the crowded street by shoving people out of the way. "Wait! Just hold on, god fucking damn it!"

"Hey, hey buddy!" Cannon yelled, a tall, patchy man glancing over his shoulder with indifference. "Hey man, I saw you walking down the street just a second ago, and I got to saw, I never thought I would meet the one and only Stefan Erza, especially on the streets of San Diego, how have you been?" At the name, the man's eyes twitched for a moment as he struggled to hide his surprise, because he had absolutely no idea who this man was accosting him. "Tell you what, don't answer, not a single peep, because I'm going to show you how much I appreciate you. Bareknuckle. I will break your jaw, I will knock your teeth out, I will break your nose, and I will break your neck."

Without warning, Cannon launched himself into a straight punch, square at Erza, who just as quickly glowed with electric current, revealing his true power - the legendary Titan. Cannon didn't have to connect with his opponent, she shattered the air in front of him and sent him flying back down the sidewalk, crashing into a utility pole as people screamed and hollered from all around. "Cannon, you fucking idiot!" Mar screamed, "There's people everywhere, what the hell are you -" She was silenced as electricity filled the air and Titan launched back, throwing his own hard punch that cackled and screamed with electric current right at the villain, who stepped back to dodge it masterfully. The civilians scattered and ran for their lives, some getting hurt in the process in their panic, but the two paid no mind to that as they locked eyes just barely a few feet apart.

"Cannon." Titan finally spat, overhearing Mar calling him, "I know exactly who you are. A dog of Orion, convict, full of anger issues and equipped with explosive strikes." Titan took off his windbreaker and tossed it to the side, wearing only a white tee and slacks into battle. "The fact that you tracked me down and attacked me in a crowded, public place means two things, one, that your organization is very keen on taking me out before I take you all out, and two, that you are an idiot of the highest caliber to make any public appearances with Warwolf crawling all around."

Rather than verbally reply, Cannon closed the distance and delivered a headbutt to Titan's chin, which sounded like a grenade went off all around the city block. At that point, people began to openly flee, Titan staggering back from the unexpected blow but responding with his own, throwing two punches at Cannon's midsection and head, both of which the villain no-selled with slight grunts from both the impact and the electric current he was charged with. Cannon put his hands up by his head, forming a modified boxers' stance and advanced upon Titan. Realizing things were about to get a bit more serious, Titan also raised his hands, keeping his fingers extended by on opposite sides of his head to quickly respond to Cannon's expected relentless attacks.

Cannon stepped forward while Titan tried to step back, but found his foot firmly attached to the concrete, making him misstep, and allowing Cannon to land a brutal, solid punch to his jaw, which split apart the air and burst the vigilante's ear drum from the rapid change in air pressure. The hit was so hard Titan's foot broke free from it's hold, Mar looking on with narrowed eyes at the hero she had faced once before. "This won't be fair, but neither was he earlier." She thought quickly, one hand already touching the concrete, and by slamming her other hand down, she forced Titan's feet completely off of the ground and into the air, Cannon taking no time in hitting him square in the stomach, hard enough to draw blood from his mouth, and with enough force to shoot Titan's body across the street and into a concrete building, completely shattering the bricks up to the third story.

Gasping from pain, Titan peeled himself from the broken building and stood facing Cannon, his eyes wild and full of discontent, a sudden bolt of lightning striking his body, filling it with electrical power and energy. In a flash, he was on Cannon, grabbing the villain's neck and forcing him through the glass of a shop, pinning him against the sales counter and delivering a punch so hard Cannon's body demolished said counter, but the criminal was far from done. He grabbed Titan's hand and grit his teeth, powering through the thousands of volts coursing through his body, and started throwing knees to Titan's midsection, his explosive power detonating small bombs against his stomach and sternum, Titan nearly buckling from the attack. It was enough for the heroes' grip to slip, and for Cannon to pull his neck away from Titan's grasp. Instead of getting his cranium out of harms way, Cannon slammed his forehead into Titan's once more, splitting open both of their foreheads and causing both men to fly back several feet - Titan ending up back on the street, Cannon ending up in the back of the store.

Mar took her opportunity and pinned Titan to the asphalt, watching intently as his electrified body struggled to stand once more before Cannon made his move, the hero looking around wildly for the culprit of his misstep and now this humiliation. "You!" He thundered, lightning coursing through his body more at her sight, "You were with Gaul a week ago. I thought Impact handled you, you vile bitch."

"Guess again, shit head." Punk called out with a smirk, "Taking out your sidekick and now taking your over-enthusiastic ass down, things must be going down hill for you." Mar was feeling a bit powerful, even though she was doing little more than keep the bastard down and inconvenience him enough for Cannon to take his shots, she was giving him actual trouble. While she focused her tactile telekinetic energy to keep Titan in place, from some ways away she could feel a set of feet rapidly approaching. "Oh no." She said under her breath, Titan grinning wild as he too knew what was coming. "Brace-" In a single moment, Mar released her hold on Titan and re-oriented her psychic energy on herself in several dense layers, feeling the force of Impact's dynamic entry onto the battlefield dig into Mar's face, boot-first.

"I'm no sidekick." Impact stated bluntly as Mar tanked the super-sonic hit fairly well, impressing the speedster. "Guess you've gotten better since last time. Wish I could say the same about you, Titan." She teased, the hero rising up for a moment before being bum-rush shoulder checked by Cannon who came barreling out of the shop like a wild animal. Cannon tackled him into another building's wall, this time, completely blowing away that side and sending shockwaves up and down the city block, breaking glass all around and sending dust into the air. "Jesus Christ..." Impact said in awe, taking a step to assist Titan, but finding her foot stuck in place. "Oh, so that's how we're going to play?"

Mar gave her rival an evil smile, "I've been practicing, can't you tell?" She said, slamming her palm onto the ground and forcing Impact to violently jump up into the air. Mar forced her own body through the air quickly, tackling the speedster and punching her hard in the helmet, the force of which cracked the visor and genuinely surprised Impact. Not wasting a single moment, Impact delivered a rapid combination of hits, punching and kicking Punk over and over before the girl could even react, the last of which was a massive drop kick that pushed Impact away from Punk, with the intention of landing feet-first on one of the non-destroyed buildings on the city streets. "Afraid of heights, speed queen?"

Impact replied quick, racing down the building she landed on, crossing the street, running up the one on the other side of Mar, and jumping off of the side to round-house kick the tactile telekinetic, the unexpected force of which sent Mar crashing to the ground with a crash and a cracking the pavement below her. "Not one bit, Miss Bad Touch." Impacted floated for a moment above Mar, about to drive her heel into the villainness' chest or head to end the fight, but Punk smiled and placed her hands on the ground, several small pieces of the road shooting up and peppering Impact's body as she fell. As she noticed Impact aborting the attack and attempting to cover herself, Mar launched her own body up and delivered a beautiful uppercut to the speedster, hard enough to be a knock out blow, sending her body flying down the street. Her victory was short lived, however, as a devastating explosion soon reminded her of the main event, Cannon and Titan's battle.

Turning back to look at the damage, Mar's jaw dropped a bit, seeing the entire street torn apart with concrete and asphalt slabs dotting the landscape, fire hydrants exploding water onto the cracked sidewalks, fires sparking from overturned cars, broken glass everywhere and buildings either shattered to hell and back or just piles of rubble. Shirtless and bloodied, Cannon stood with teeth bared, slapping his toned chest as Titan stood opposite of him, his clothes completely gone save for a small piece of his pants covering his manhood, his own body bruised and bloody from the battle, spitting out a tooth as Cannon roared some incomprehensible word-like vocalizations at him. Sparks of lightning still surrounded his body, his look was determined and ready to put it all on the line, Cannon read his opponent well and gathered his own energy, ready to put everything he had into this next attack.

Out of nowhere, Impact flew past Mar and grabbed the back of her head, letting her momentum carry her forward, slamming Punk's face into the ruined pavement. "Are you serious?!" Mar spat into the ground, "You Randy Orton'd me?! Do you get your moves from wrestling?! How fucking lame can you be!" Impact rose to her feet and gave a shrug, Mar quickly getting on her own feet as well.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Oh my god, does everything you say have to be sarcastic or annoying?"

"Not really, I'm an alright person when you get to know me, and when we're not on opposite sides of the law."

Titan and Cannon walked toward eachother with their make-or-break attacks loaded, each one rearing back and fully prepared to die before losing this battle, the cackle of electricity and the soft buzz of Cannon's explosive potential providing the thunderous crescendo for the fight, but as they sent their strikes to their destination, both men only hit flesh and bone, Titan's fist landing on Cannon's jaw and Cannon's to Titan's on opposite sides, each one surprised at the development entirely. "What the-" Cannon began, before four armored soldiers dropped down unannounced around him and Titan both, their unique and powerful exoskeleton showing their elite status of juggernaut. "Oh, are you serious? Warwolf, of all the times."

"Remain calm. You are under arrest by authority of Warwolf Operations, do not resist or things will get ugly."

"You can suck the fattest of cocks, my man." Cannon replied, pressing his teleportation bracelet. "Because these nifty little things let me get out of jail free whenever I want." He waited for a moment, a cocky grin on his battered face. "Any second now." He calmly pressed it again, and again, and kept pressing it in vain. "Workyoupieceofshitc'monworkgoddamnit." He spat quickly, watching as the four armored tanks of men closed in on him and Titan. "Just give it a second, the electronics are probably slow from all of the badass hits I've been putting in against this jerk off."

"They have electronic jammers too, dumbass. Our teleports won't work, and Crim didn't put summoning sigils on us, so we're kinda boned right now." Mar yelled, putting her hands up and on her head as instructed, four juggernauts surrounding Impact and herself as well. Cannon went down fighting, punching a juggernaut's helmet with no powers and just breaking his knuckles, Titan just grit his teeth at the operatives. Two other juggernauts appeared down the street from Mar and Impact, roughly carrying a young man with them.

"We found this illegal vigilante in an alley, watching the battle. Perhaps he's reinforcements for one of the participants?" The arresting officer stated, "He put up no fight as we entered with power dampeners at full blast. What shall we do with him?"

The supervisor was dressed in combat fatigues and had some light armor, but did not wield the impressive juggernaut suit, and looked the young hero up and down. "He's just as bad as these hooligans," He thundered, "Inaction against tyranny is as bad as tyranny itself." He firmly stated, fully ignoring the hypocrisy in the statement as it disregard Titan and Impact's status as heroes and their opponents as fully documented villains. "No one knows who he is, anyways, we'll put him in the Hole with the rest of these illegal power users." He firmly spat.

"He isn't with Artemis." Impact stated quickly, removing her helmet and letting her short brown pixie hair flow, placing her hands on her hand as instructed like Mar.

"He ain't with us." Mar flatly stated, looking at the handsome young man. "Who are you?"

"Heh," The hero responded, "They call me Daybreaker."

---