Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

[Finland SSR]

everyone and their mother

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

---

It'd be so pathetically easy to bail out right now. To succumb to fear, fear of breaking her legs, or fear of the rock monster suddenly breaking free of his chains and smacking her into a bloody smear. Both of those fears could have become reality any moment now, and both of them would be the end of her career, if not life. All she'd have to do is to fire a plasma blast to the side, change her direction, miss the golem and let her friends take on the job...

After all, she has no business being here on the front lines, taking on a golem all by herself while it took a combo of both Kabuto and Makeshift to take down the other one. She's just throwing all safety to the way's side.

But...

Isn't that what heroes do?

It's perhaps a little ironic that this is the motto which she chose to guide her life with and yet is so terrible at sticking to it.

Hell, Icarus is a far better manifestation of it than Renata. And you were the one who lectured him about it!

Not. Today.

Milliseconds later, the heroine's feet rammed into the giant rock monster's center of mass with a thunderous clash. Much like Renata anticipated, the shock absorbers on each of her legs popped off almost instantly, wiring and screws flying off in random directions after failing to withstand the intense pressure. Moments later, the heroine bounced off, leaping with a backflip and landing on her feet in front of the giant rock monster while it collapsed under its sheer weight in front of her, the weakened knees failing to hold up the heavy torso and the structure falling down in a spectacular fashion, a cloud of dust pushing past Renata's pink hair immediately after impact.

Take a breath. Take another breath.

Do you... realize what you just did, Renata?

You... won this fight by your own merit. Sure, Amir's spell helped, but you carried the weight... You pulled off techniques your past, Condor self would have only seen on television. Could you imagine watching yourself leaping around like that with each plasma blast, finishing it off with a spectacular jet boosted strike?

And now, everything was sore. With the rush of adrenaline having faded, all the overexertion Renata went through to pull that combination off, combined with her already present exhaustion and wounds from the fight against Ash, caught up with her in one sudden rush. "Owww..." and similar mutters blurting out of her mouth, the heroine collapsed on her knees, breathing heavily. At least... at least nothing's broken. I think. Whoever is the doctor of our group this time, they'll have some work to do... if I even end up reaching them...

It didn't help that Alexis suddenly flew past her and yanked her with her free arm, pulling Renata away just in time to avoid getting caught in the massive power cell explosion which took out the second blast door and the rock monsters around it - but not really doing any wonders to her already poor condition. At this point, maybe it would hurt less if her bones really were broken.

The victory of defeating the two golems and taking out the door which led them to the last member of the Cabal was soon overturned by a platoon of heavily armored Warwolf soldiers storming into the room, pushing past the battered and drained Young Bloods and informing them that Warwolf is taking the reins from now. Oh, yay... At least the law enforcement has the balls to taking something off their workload. Renata was sure that she would break in half if she had to get into a high-intensity fight ever again today - and all of her fights were high-intensity thanks to how the applications of her powers work.

Huh, since Warwolf is here, this means they probably already dealt with all the trouble on the surface, and...

Oh god, Icarus!

He... he is still up there, right? He was in Wonders Foundation the last time Renata saw him, and this whole building has been occupied by Warwolf by now... They, they didn't kill him or arrest him, right? They didn't, right?

The thought continued beating Renata at the back of her head for the rest of the venture, which folded inconsequentially. The last member of the Cabal disappeared with a some sort of spell, leaving Warwolf and the Young Bloods empty-handed. Apparently, some teenager Renata had never met was trying to delay the villain before they burst in, but they were too late - Alexis revealed his name to be Mike, however. Was this one of the many Mikes from their school? Likely. Renata cracked a smile and began to move forward, hoping to introduce herself to the fellow Young Blood, but she got cut short right before she was about to speak up by one of the Warwolf soldiers, bumping her in the shoulder while walking in the opposite direction.

"Uh, wha-" the heroine blurted out, glancing towards the officers in front of her and her allies. They didn't seem to be happy with their presence at all. Some were eyeing them down while others were exchanging words with each other - and this definitely seemed to be directed towards the teenagers. What's up with them? We're as much law enforcers as they are, they should be happy we helped out, not angry... Alexis seemed to have gotten the hint from their attitude, however, as after a voice crack, the engineer offered for her teammates to depart. Renata nodded accordingly.

It didn't take long for the Wonders Foundation infiltration team to find their way up and return to the surface - and much like the heroine had assumed in her thoughts, the situation here has been resolved. All of the hell hounds had been taken out, Beast was gone and several Young Bloods were either wounded or knocked out, and some allies of theirs had been missing.

Renata frantically looked around, searching for the sight of a particular one anywhere nearby. Well, technically two, but she figured that since Aleta didn't seem to have as much of a problem with Warwolf, there's less to worry about on her regard. Nope, no sight of him. You idiot, of course he's not here. There's Warwolf soldiers everywhere in this field.

Said soldiers were on alert, but not actively gunning down for anyone, there were no sounds of ongoing battle or a mass of knocked out Warwolf grunts anywhere, and there were no problems with the lighting in the area. It's safe to say that the worst has been averted. Renata let out a sigh. Now all that's left to worry about is whether or not you actually had your phone with you.

"Stella here. When you're all boarding into the jet, don't wait for me," Renata spoke into team comms. "I'll be staying behind."

Now, where did I order him to go after this?..

[The Rebel Alliances]

Scott Green/Spectrum-WF Faculty

It's over. For the rest of the team, this was no doubt a time to breathe a sigh of relief. To perhaps pat themselves on the back. To congratulate their teammates on the job well done. For me though, I just felt...low. In fact, I barely remember the battle, at least in any comprehensive way. It is all a blur. The one instant in which I can recall crystal clearly, is when I just...froze. I had sailed down from the sky to help Casimir and we had a plan. I...understood the plan. It was a simple plan. And when he needed me to act I just...didn't. Kabuto was forced to bail me out and I dont know, he was thrown through a building. He was hurt because I was afraid.

No, I am still afraid.

This was nothing like training. My heart is bursting from my chest. A cold sweat dripping from my face. And what makes everything worse is, I am completely unharmed.

Staring at my shaking fist I found myself wishing I was hurt. I was wounded in some way. To show that I tried. To show I did something. But in that one instant, I was here and in the next I was back on Aeon, staring death in the face. And just like then I was useless to do anything because I lacked the courage to act.

Its a wonder that I did not go full yellow and activate my fear mode here. Hell, maybe then I would have taken an enemy out by accident. My eyes started to dart around me as I saw some of my teammates return to the jet. Some of them had light wounds, and I dared look no one in the eye after my absent performance. All I could feel is shame. And Vivian, her boyfriend could have been seriously hurt because he trusted me. Even with all of the fighting over for now, the shadows seemed deeper and the corners more narrow and suffocating. I...need to get out of here. Get some air before I vomit. There is no way I can get on that jet, confined so tightly with everyone else. Feeling all of their eyes on me, judging me. Condemning me for not acting. For holding back as everyone else gave their all. Especially Kabuto.

Taking several deep breaths I took a look at myself and noticed that the green light which enveloped me was dimmer than normal. Not that brilliant emerald shine it normally lights as.

Of course, its because its just one jump scare away from turning straight yellow. Taking a last look back at the team as they gathered around the jet, I held myself back. Knowing that if I left alone I was basically confirming what everyone else already knows. Refusing to face the others after my negligence is the epitome of a coward. And if they looked for me all they would see is a faint green glow flying off in the distance in the direction of the Tower.

Because I had rather be a coward than see the disappointment in their eyes.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

July 23rd

---

---

Icarus didn't know whether it was luck, a miracle, or something else that had caused this, but whatever the case, he could only be grateful to Aleta for deciding to get him out of there instead of turning him in or simply leaving him at Warwolf's mercy. Even if she hadn't done anything, without his powers and with a small dose of tranquilizer rapidly spreading through his body, he would've been powerless to fight back against the PMC's soldiers when they inevitably attempted to detain him; without her help, he would've undoubtedly been done for, barring some miraculous intervention by the Young Bloods, though if the psychic girl's words were any indication of what the team felt towards him, that was improbable.

Sure, Pitch wasn't giving him the most comfortable of rides, but it still beat a ride to jail or worse.

When they finally arrived at their destination, the boy let out a groan, not pleased about the fact he was unceremoniously thrown to the floor, although it didn't hurt as much as it could have; luckily for him, pain was one of the many things that the dart numbed. Feeling his ankles and wrists being bound, probably with the same viscous substance that was all around the other vigilante, Blackout attempted to struggle against his bounds, obviously in vain. He didn't know if he would've been strong enough to break through them while in top shape, but he was completely certain he wouldn't accomplish anything as he was now. Seeing the lights go out in the entire building didn't reassure him, even though they wouldn't help him until his powers came back either way.

Hearing the girl's remark, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle, even though he felt far from safe. So that means she likes me more than her previous first dates. Wonderful. He thought, rolling his eyes.

As soon as the tar binding him changed to allow him some degree of mobility, Icarus began attempting to sit up, though it naturally took him a little time and effort, as he wasn't completely in control yet. EIther way, he managed quickly enough, and listened to Aleta's words, noticing that, so far, she had placed far more trust in him than most heroes he had met, sans Casimir who was his best friend regardless. When the girl approached and removed her own mask, the boy was surprised, both because of the very meaning of such a gesture, and because Pitch turned out to be a classmate of his, one that, incidentally, could often be seen around Renata. Speechless, he put up no resistance when she approached to remove his mask; she would eventually overpower him even if he tried to resist, and it was only fair to show her his face when she had shown hers.

"Believe me, Aleta, I'm just as surprised as you are." The vigilante eventually said with a chuckle. "Anyway, I don't know what sort of people you usually team up with, or what your concept of me is like, but you saved me today even though it meant endangering yourself, trusted me more than ninety percent of this Zeus damned city and even showed me your face when you could've simply looked at mine." He paused for a moment, looking her straight in the eye. "I'm not going to betray you after you did all that for me."

After that solemn statement, he looked down at his bindings and made a grimace. "Well, you know, I would've appreciated you more if you hadn't pulled the bondage shit, but I get where you're coming from. I'm probably not the most trustworthy person after being accused of murder and all." He commented, looking back up at her. "Do you think you could get rid of them, though? I... sort of... have to go meet up with someone soon."

---

---

---

At around the same time the group left the hotel and was swarmed by the press, Kirisvala was roused from her exhausted slumber by all the noise and the shouting going on around her. From her position, the first thing the weary Hadrian saw were various small shapes gathered around a few larger ones, red with lines of white running through them. Tired eyes soon adjusted to the light, allowing her to see what all those shapes truly were: all the people she had saved, gathered around various ambulances and receiving medical care from the specialists who had arrived after she had got them out of the Hilton. Rather than focus on the fact that she had saved several lives that day, however, Kirisvala's mind wandered back to the regret she had felt after hearing Mars' scream. What was it I regretted? Was it not being there for Mars? I could've spared him so much pain if I had been there, but... that would've meant that I wouldn't have saved the hostages; they would've remained there, in danger, and some of them would've gotten hurt during the fight.

Kiris' eyes wandered to the people that had stood up for her, praised her and aided her after they had escaped the Hilton. Does that mean, I regret saving them...? Some heroine I am...

Averting her gaze from the rescued hostages, Kiris instead looked up, only to see a familiar robotic visage, quite likely the first she had seen in her life that had stopped causing her terror when she gazed upon it. Instead of a fearful expression, a smile appeared on her face, tired and yet full of affection. "Mars..." She called out to him, as if speaking the very word brought her a small amount of joy. Weakly, she reached out with her claw, using what little strength she felt in her muscles to lift it up to Rocket's face and touch it. "I'm so happy you're fine. I was worried about ya..." She mumbled, some of her happiness leaking into her voice.

Afterwards, she simply continued to lie in his arms and stare lovingly at him as he slowly carried her back towards the van, the journalists parting ways to let the heroine of the Hilton and her carrier through. But after several moments, she noticed there was something off. He hadn't responded to a single word she spoke, nor had even done so much as look down at her when she reached out to him. It was as if he hadn't noticed anything and simply walked forward out of some single-minded fixation with getting from point A to point B.

Most importantly, though, she didn't feel his presence. Not there in front of her.

"...You're not here, are ya?" She questioned weakly, sadness in her voice. The lack of a response only further confirmed her suspicions. "...Of course you're not. How could ya be carryin' me, if your arm is broken? I'm a dummy..." She continued, mentally berating herself for not noticing earlier. Suddenly the robot's touch felt much colder than before, a shiver running through the Hadrian's spine. She let her hand down and buried her head in the creature's metallic chest, though it offered her no comfort as her energy seemed to disappear once more, her consciousness fading and the darkness beckoning.

"Mars..." She muttered his name once more, before pronouncing three words, full of sentiment and meaning, but too quiet to be heard by anyone who might've been listening. With that done, the heroine stopped clinging to her sense and simply allowed herself to gradually fall into a deep rest once more, knowing that the danger was long gone. The victorious alien closed her eyes, and then, darkness again.

---

July 24th

---

---

Naja nodded at Shi as the girl began her response, mentioning that even though she was an artist, she intended to pull her weight on the team and make an effort to fit in herself, rather than force others to adapt to her presence. Something laudable, if true. As the girl carried on, her tone growing less light-hearted and more serious, Naja continued to listen. It was quite insightful of her to realize that she was not asking about potential applications of her talents, either alone or in tandem with others, but about her overall role; of course, in a way, that was the intent of the question, but it was to be noted regardless.

When Shi finished her speech with the expectations she had for the team, though, Naja's expression turned into a slight frown. Remaining silent for a moment, she considered how to respond to the prospective Young Blood's words before speaking up. "It's certainly good news that you prioritize teamwork and trust, Shi. It certainly takes priority over individual prowess, talent and success. If you walk in with that mindset, then I've no doubt you will not have a hard time getting integrated with the rest of the Young Bloods." The snake woman spoke as she finished filling in a paper form and placed it inside one of her desk's drawers.

"However... while the Young Bloods are a team of heroes whose purpose is helping the public in general, and we will lend our aid in other areas of the globe if needed, the fact is that the team's main area of influence is San Diego. The city alone, not to mention the nation, has a large enough share of problems to keep us busy. That, coupled with the fact that it has not been very long since the team was established, is a powerful motive for us to focus primarily in our area and leave only in the case of extraordinary circumstances." Naja stated, giving Shi a meaningful look. "Since you've looked into the team before, I'm sure you already knew most of this, but I felt the need to reiterate, in light of your expectations for the team."

A small pause, and then the reptilian woman cracked a smile. "That aside, however, I'm satisfied with what I've heard from you so far, and the paperwork was a simple matter, given your trajectory, so without further ado, I'll welcome you to the Young Bloods. Feel free to go explore the rest of Wonder Tower and introduce yourself to your new teammates if you wish, they should still be going through the latter parts of their morning routines as we speak; if you fear getting lost, there's a map just outside my office." She stated, gesturing towards the door. "I'll offer you a word of warning, however, since you mentioned emotional support: the team went on two separate missions yesterday which were very taxing, and which resulted in situations that left some of them unsatisfied. As a result, they might not be in the best of moods today. I only ask that you try to understand them; most of them aren't older than you, after all."

[New Finnish Republic]

Brianna Erickson

---

"Surely, you can't be serious?" Brianna asked Sina with an astonished look on her face. Seeing that she was indeed serious in her question, Brianna let out a small groan as she shook her head. "No, it is not an actual bridge. It is where the captain and his crew can control the vessel as well as communicate with others. Have you never been on a boat in your life, Dreki?"

Shaking her head, she stepped forward into the lower level of the bridge. The quarters were quite cramped, which meant using her spear would be difficult. Turning Véurr into its concealed form, she motioned for Sina to follow close behind. The bridge was mainly empty, but that didn't mean they shouldn't expect trouble to pop up.

They had made their way to where the staircase leading to the next level was when the sound of approaching footsteps from above reached her ears. Pointing quickly with a pair of fingers towards the doorway, the two waited on the sides of the door as the footsteps drew nearer. A man armed with a submachine gun didn't even notice their presence until Brianna's shield smacked with a sickening crunch against the front of his skull, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Sina dealt with the other guard following behind him in a quick and decisive manner as well, the man barely having time to register what was happening before the Dra'Quinni appeared before him.

Hearing no other footsteps approaching, the two made their way up to the upper level where the control room was supposed to be. The hatch leading inside had been left wide open, as was apparent by the sound of the ship's crew frantically trying to get a hold of the situation at hand. Inside, Brianna heard the commanding voice of what had to be the ship's captain.

"Get us on line with reinforcements! I don't give a damn who they are, just get someone! And for Christ's sake, keep those lights centered on those bastards!"

Brianna looked back at Sina, nodding to her while holding up three fingers, beginning to count down as she mouthed out the numbers. Three. Two. One. As her last finger curled up, the two sprung into action. With more space available for them to maneuver in, Brianna returned Véurr to its normal form, sending the tip of her spear straight through the man attempting to operate the radio. Her spear passed through the man's unarmored torso with ease, allowing the rest of the spear to pierce through the radio controls. Sparks flew up from the controls as Brianna pulled her spear out from both the console and the man's torso, another target already in focus as Brianna drove home the spear into the thigh of a man attempting to reach for his holstered pistol. He let out a cry of pain as he stumbled forward onto the ground, only to be quickly finished off with a clean jab through the back of his neck by Brianna.

Turning to see who remained, Brianna noted that Sina had already finished off the rest of the standard crew, leaving only the captain remaining. The man's eyes widened with fear as he shakily pointed his sidearm at the two female assailants that had just massacred his crew. "S-Stand back, you bitches! I-I-I'll shoot, d-don't try anything-"

"I'll let you take him," Brianna said to Sina with a small yawn.

[Aidannadia]

Aleta Lindell

---

"Well, don't get all teary eyed on me you fucking sap." Aleta snapped. "I just don't want to pass up an opportunity to kick Warwolf out of here and let Pitch continue to attract the right type of attention. Oh, and we still need to exchange contacts..... Here's my Signal app info. Burners and shit. My address is public under my Aunt's name, just buzz in as Icarus and I'll let you in if I'm home." She waved her hands, releasing his restraints.

"Also, I'm not letting you get away with a piss poor excuse like 'I'm meeting someone', kay? I'm gonna need to know what you're doing the rest of tonight and that you're not gonna totally suicide into a Warwolf infested crime scene again. I mean, you were dumb enough to do it once." She chuckled to herself. "You at least need to let me grab you a change of clothes. I think there's a department store I can stop by.... I'll check google maps while you give me some answers." Aleta's eyes shifted from her phone screen to Icarus continuously.

Alcyone Naftis

Alcyone was among the first few hostages rescued from the Hilton. She hadn't been worried. If either the clown or the buffoon came near here, she would have injected them without hesitation and they would have writhed to death in the lobby.

But, there was apparently trouble on one of her cargo ships unloading at the docks. Reports of gunshots, communications going silent. Wait, don't tell this... She ranga number, not hesitating to speak once it was answered. "Get me eyes on the incident and identify the cargo. Contain it." She hung up before the oaf on the other end of the line could respond. Who could be making a move against the families on tonight of all nights? Warwolf is stretched thin, the police are bought off, and the cartels keep to themselves as long as we move product. No... this is someone new.....

The White Lamia smiled, her lips coiling with satisfaction.

I can use this.

[Tomia]

Wonder Foundation
Roy had no time to react as a figure suddenly appeared, offered a taunting remark, and then suddenly disappeared along with the once captured Beast. "Damn it!!" He shouted, looking around for any sign of the culprit but finding none.

Warwolf was reacting similarly, the Captain angrily taking out her radio. "Someone tell me what the hell is going on?!?" She yelled and there was a delay until a voice responded. "They're gone ma'am, no sign of Cabal members anywhere on site. And it gets worse... It seems that they've broken into a high security lab on the lower floors. We're not exactly sure what they stole just yet, but we're sure they've stolen something." With that the captain smashed her radio onto the ground before turning on Roy.

"This is your fault! You and your gang of wanna be heroes got in our way and let real villains escape!" She said, pointing angrily at him.

"Are you serious?" Roy asked, knocking her hand away from his face. "You got ambushed by people who clearly outsmarted you!" Roy shouted back, but the captain didn't seem to even be listening.

"This is your final warning, we're not tolerating your interference in our mission anymore. You either stand down from now on and let us do our job or we force you to do so." She said, her tone sharp and harsh. Before Roy could even respond the Captain gave the order to move out and soon Warwolf was packing up and returning to their headquarters.

Roy was still fuming but he knew his anger would have to wait, it was clear that they had lost and he needed to get his team home.

"Young Bloods we're done here, meet back at the landing site and let's go home." He said, doing his best to hide his anger and disappointment in his voice but probably doing a bad job of it.

Mars
Meanwhile as Mars was being carried to Red's van he heard Kiris speaking through the microphone in his ear. It connected him to Rocket so he could hear Kiris through Rocket's microphones. He wished he could respond but had no way to do so, and exhaustion had begun to creep into his mind as well. He was happy to hear that she was okay. He had been as worried for her as she was for him after all. He could feel the affection in her voice as she talked to him, and it was clear how much she cared about him. There was also disappointment that crept into his heart as Kiris noticed he wasn't actually in Rocket. He felt like he let her down for not being there to comfort her, but at the moment Rocket was the best he could offer. As they made to the van and Kiris was safely put down Mars took it upon himself to get into the van on his own, sitting next to Kiris in the back as she laid down.

Back at the Tower
The quick plane ride back was quite and solemn for the team. Naja didn't lecture about the failure or try to get them to see some bright side, but spent her time checking on people, both for injuries and how they were feeling. Roy sat alone at the front of the plane not having spoken since telling the team they were leaving. When the plane landed, Naja told the team to change and shower and then meet in the living room and kitchen for dinner.

Frost Bite also hadn't spoken to anyone on the plane, she was clearly fuming both because of the results and her own individual performance. I'm an embarrassment She thought darkly as she stormed off to the nearby locker room in the hanger. Once inside she threw her batons hard against the wall, resulting in a loud thud. Then she approached the lockers and slammed her right fist into one repeatedly. It resulted in a slightly dented door and multiple bloodied knuckles. She dropped down onto the bench, breathing heavily as if having a panic attack.

"Hey, everything alright in here?" Jacob said as he entered the room, pausing as he saw the scene before him. He considered backing away rather than intruding on a private moment. Then however he saw the cuts on her hand and frowned.

"Here, let me take care of that." He said, sitting next to her. Angelica recoiled at his attempt to touch her hand, but eventually relented and let him take it his. Jacob's hand began to glow slightly and Angelica's cuts began to close and disappear.

"I'm sorry tonight didn't go the way it should have." Jacob said sincerely. Frostbite didn't answer but Jacob didn't mind, he just sat there patiently as he didn't want to leave his teammate alone like this.

"It's not about the Cabal." Angelica said softly after a few minutes of silence. Jacob perked up at these words.

"I shouldn't have been out there tonight. I couldn't think straight, I put everyone in danger. I..." She trailed off, her voice cracking slightly.

"Frostbite, if there's something bothering you that much, you should tell someone about it. I know we can be dysfunctional at times, but I can tell there's people on this team who would have your back no matter what."

"Talking won't solve anything." Angelica refuted. "I'm not fit for combat. I saw her get attacked and I just..."

"Her?" Jacob asked, curious about her meaning. After thinking about it for a second he started to get a clearer picture. All the while Frostbite was horrified when she realized what she had let slip.

"It's Alexis isn't it?"

"If you tell anyone about this Jacob I swear to god..." Jacob held his hands in the air,

"I won't I promise. But Frostbite, I think you should tell her. It's clearly killing you to hold this in, and I know she would understand..."

"Go away." Angelica responded curtly, an edge to her voice.

Jacob knew when to quit and stood up, "Okay, I'll leave you to think. But if you ever want to talk about this, I'll be there I promise." He said before leaving the room.

After a little while the team started to gather in the living room, Naja had once again had food ordered for the team. This time it was trays of pasta, some with tomato sauce and others with vodka sauce, meatballs and sausage, and also a few trays of salad. She doubted it would lighten the mood, but she felt they deserved it anyway.

The team from the hotel had arrived at this point, and Jacob had been busy dealing with their wounds. After a painful few minutes he relocated Mars' shoulder and he healed Kiris of her wounds and exhaustion. As they joined the others in the main tower, Roy was sitting in on the couch with his head in his hands looking dejected. He hadn't even glanced over at the food nearby, he wasn't hungry. Frostbite was standing off in the corner as she usually did, she wasn't touching the food either, in fact she didn't as much as look in anyone's direction.

[Finland SSR]

Brianna Erickson

---

The Mad Lass, Sina As'tari!

---

Nodding after Brianna and waiting for the Valkyrie to finish the countdown, Sina leapt into the control room after her, the female Dra'Quinni's wings flapping immediately to propel her forward and send her headfirst into a sailor trying to keep tabs on the ship's controls, piercoing through his gut and mounting the body on her horns, only to toss it straight into one of his buddies trying to pull a window open and escape the massacre, leaving both of them bursting through it and falling to their doom. The manhunt was finished by Sina slapping across the face of a third sailor hard enough to snap their neck and let them fall to the floor like a rock, just in time for Brianna to take care of the officers she was fighting and moving on to the captain himself.

The man was desperate, speaking in highly accentuated English and pulling out his pistol, threatening to shoot if they dare come anywhere near him. Brianna was not interested in dealing with him him, he was clearly boring her - and Sina shared her pain.

"What? Why do I have to be the one to pick up the trash?" Sina exclaimed, then sighed. "Fine, I guess."

Brandishing her claw, the female Dra'Quinni walked forward, while the captain pushed himself back, his face practically covered \in sweat and his hand far too shaky for his pistol to deal any damage even if he fired it.

Suddenly, one of the windows of the control room burst, and moments later, a mechanical construct somewhat resembling a massive hammer crashed straight into Sina, blowing her away from the surprised and relieved naval officer and sending her rolling across the florr until finally coming to a stop by slamming face-first into a wall. A few moans of pain coming from her direction indicated that it wasn't lethal, but far from trivial, either.

Through the freshly broken window, a black-haired man leapt in, landing on his feet right next to the captain and gramming onto the handle of the massive weapon which had just blown Sina away.

"Осторожно, дурак." the man muttered, his voice clearly artificial and robotic. In response, the captain mumbled a little bit, his pride hurt just a tad, but relieved regardless and started running away. The android, on the other hand, turned towards Brianna, the hammer in his hands changing form as he did so - gears shifted, plates moved, circuits reformed, now in the shape of a battle scythe. Pressing on his neck for a second and shifting a hidden regulator within it for a second, then continued in English:

"Sorry about your friend, but they said they'll cut my pay in half if I let the captain get hurt."

Without any further warning, the android suddenly lunged foward, lashing out at Brianna with several scythe slashes both vertically and horizontally.

[Confederation of the Equator]

[minecraft villager sound]

[United Kingdom of Poland]

Wendy watched as the Warwolf verbally tore into Roy and their team's performance, having to bite back the few choice words she had for her and the PMC. Lets see if your tunes still the same when you wake tomorrow and find every morning talk show host, media talking head, and youtube personality tearing you a new one. Holding her tongue, Wendy followed Roy and the other back to the jet, taking a seat next to him

Once back at the tower, Wendy darted off into her room for a quick shower and change of clothes. Before heading back down to the living room she checked her computer to see if there was anything on that nights events, smiling at what she found.

Her mood changed as she made her way downstairs and found Roy still pissed off about about how the fight had went, barely even picking at his food. Grabbing a plate and taking a seat next to him, she threw an arm around her boyfriend in support and gave him a faint smile. “Isn’t it my job to be the super emotional depressed one in this relationship?” She joked.

[The Republic of Atria]

Wyatt remained silent as they went back to the Tower. Every single time he'd gone out, he'd accomplished nothing while everyone else was out saving people and beating up the villains. Sure, they did actually defeat the villains, but what did he do to contribute? The one person he was fighting got away. It was infuriating, the death glare he gave to the side of the van as he huddled himself up to make room for Mars and Kiris made that clear. What was he actually contributing to the team? He's done nothing to help and more to harm it. The regret he had from raiding Warwolf with Kaban and Floyd was there, but it was the one time he felt good about himself. He was getting back at them, they hated him and he hated them. How could he be surrounded by people and feel so damned alone?

Why did everything that felt good have to be wrong? He couldn't get the thoughts to go away, so he just sat on the couch in the main room in an attempt to unwind. The TV was on the news, switching between replaying the speech Jason gave, lambasting Warwolf and the fight with the Cabal. He didn't get to hear the full thing when he was at the hotel, but it was nice to know that he wasn't the only one who didn't like them. Apparently the fight with the Cabal went poorly, if both the news and various mutters he heard around the Tower. The news implied the team was responsible for the Cabal slipping away, but he knew better than that. Warwolf was somehow responsible for screwing the pooch. He didn't know the full story, but that had to be the case. At least the news wasn't trashing their victory over Marionette.

Jason followed the van from above, swinging from building to building without a care. He had some money, a belly full of food and survived an encounter with TWO super villains. Sure, he mostly was lurking for food and money, but he helped a little and got out alive. The fact that he got to be on TV and shit on Warwolf definitely helped. That didn't even include the fact that he was getting an interview or something with an actual superhero team that he would hopefully be joining. They seemed competent and within his age group. "So whatchu think?" Jason asked as the van came to a red light, landing on a streetlight and waiting for it to go. "Good idea? Bad idea?"

"I like it. They probably have food." Sludge replied with Jason snickering. "You promised more food after the fight."

"I know, I know. I'll see if they won't let me raid their fridge before we leave. Plus hey, the only thing better than food is FREE food. We can save the money for a rainy day and splurge on something nice. Don't think I forgot about how much you love chocolate. Behave around the superheroes, and we're going to the nearest Seven Eleven and I'll buy us 3 king sized chocolate bars. Deal?"

"Yeeeees... Deal." Sludge replied.

Jason nodded. It was easy enough to bribe his partner with chocolate. He wasn't completely sure why Sludge liked it so much, he was never big on it. It kept Sludge's aggression down and that was all he really cared about. Working out a system that worked for the both of them took time, practice and trust. Jason would never lie to Sludge, arguing with and fighting against the thing interlinked with his central nervous system was a horrible idea. Plus there was some amount of affection between them It was like having pet dog. Except the dog gave you superpowers and could talk inside your head.

He followed the team to the Tower and absorbed Sludge back into his body upon arrival. Which was both bigger and smaller than he expected. Hopefully they wouldn't hang him out to dry. He got some of his strength back, but even if he was at his peak, there was no way he was taking down several dozen superhumans with just the two of them. Thankfully the dragon was kind enough to point to an office door and went to go sit. "Yeesh. He looks like someone pissed in his cheerios and someone dumped the bowl on his head." He muttered to himself as he knocked on the door. He heard a female voice tell him to come in.

He immediately recognized the woman as soon as he saw her. Naja, ex-Justice Queen. Powerful as fuck.

No weakness. He had to act like he belonged there. Be confident without being arrogant. "Good evening." He chimed. "My name's Jason Reynolds and I'm ninety nine percent sure you know why I'm here. Sorry about the walk in."

"You didn't crash an aircraft into the island. So I'm grateful for that."

"Did-Did that actually happen?" He asked, sitting down across from her desk.

"Would you believe me if I said more than once?" She half smiled. "Alright. So tell me a little bit about yourself."

"Well. I introduced myself earlier, and it would be rude not to introduce my friend." Jason start, a black, tar like substance immediately coated his left arm, farming a head at the end. "He's... Basically a carnivorous sock puppet. That lives inside my brain. And bones, and muscles, and... Yeah. He gives me your stock abilities. Super strength, speed, bulletproof, yadda yadda. Plus I can stick to wallsn swing and my senses are much more acute when he's out."

"We are pleasssed to meet you. I don't bite."

"He's friendly, don't worry."

She adjusted her posture as Jason introduced himself and his friend. This was going to be one of those nights.

[Absolon-7]

Viviana Couture July 23rd
Alright it was the final countdown! Casiboy and Alexis had blown up last steel door and the blondie had rocketed back to where she and Amir where. And now the group was all there ready for the final showdown against the forces of evil this night. Now they had to charge in the last chamber and beat the hell out of the villain. She braced herself as the explosion's force engulfed the hallway blowing smoke and debris everywhere and shattering the golems to mere pebbles. But things weren't gonna be happy fun time for long as those Warwolf fellows swarmed the hallway with their cool as armor with them.

"Oh come one we were getting to the good part," mumbled Viviana under her breath. Everything after that was pretty much a blur. Everyone shambled up to the surface and there she heard the Shadowlord, whatshisname Roy, ordering everyone to get back on the jet. While on the flight back she couldn't help notice how quiet Casimir was. Leaning towards him on the seat she proceeded to poke his head until he started tilting over.

"Yes?" said Casimir casually.

"You've been quieter than a mounted deer since we got on this jet," asked Viviana.

"Yeah well I just feel weird. This mission wasn't successful for us and stuff. It's pretty damn frustrating," grumbled Casimir, "On that note I noticed that you didn't really get to fight anyone. I mean I get that today was bad matchup for your powers but.."

"Eh, don't worry about it. I'm just doing this hero thing for fun anyhow. Missing a few punchouts ain't gonna hold me down," gingerly said Viviana, "Although, them getting away with those serums was concerning."

"Well, yeah and I caught a glance at the guys that teleported them away," said Casimir before straightening himself back to his seat, "I don't know why but I absolutely hate his face. Like i just want to punch it to a mush level of hate. It's quite weird. Hold on a minute....why the hell are there fleas at the tower! I never allowed any to get inside before? I think I can hear barking too!"

"You're such a weirdo Casiboy," said Viviana barely contain her laughter right as they arrived back at the island.

Wyatt

Casimir Herman July 23rd

Arriving at the tower Casimir walked together to near where their rooms where Casimir walked Viviana to her room before heading to his. Taking off his costume and throwing it onto his bed he didn't bother to neatly organize it as he was going to have a busy night today. While he was in the shower Casimir hung his head on the cold shower wall letting the warm water run down his black air and downwards. His mind went back to his experience at the Wonder Foundation building and the mothgirl. Why the hell was her mind so familiar? It was too close to that mutant that could override his control over insects. While he didn't think that the moth girl had the same amount of power it was still concerning how similar they were. It was as if some faint echo of an enemy long dead had come back to haunt him. Bleating sounds of sirens and gunshots filled his before being swarmed by the screams of a running crowd of civilians. He could see the monster ripping people to shreds yelling "Kabuto! Kabuto! Please oh please stop by!" The damn beast's shrill laughter coiled down his ears making him snarl and nearly pound at the shower wall. No, it had to be coincidence.

Getting dressed in fresh clothes after his shower Casimir was on time to hear about time the Young Bloods who went to the Hilton arriving. He got worried at hearing how badly Kiris was hurt but he thought best not to interrupt Jacob as much as he wanted to check on her. Hopefully she'd be better by dinnertime Naja was going to make. Well if there was one good thing about today was that Naja had prepared a damn good dinner of pasta, meatballs, and sausage. He met up with Viviana at the entrance to her room and the two went to join the rest of the team in eating. Casimir had his fare share of food but his ravenous appetite meant he finished faster. Deciding to kill time before he had to leave for the night, Casimir decided to wander to the sofa and watch what the news had to say on his team's performance. There were a few Young Bloods there already there as Roy looked really down on his luck but Wendy was comforting him. Frostbite was off sulking in a corner. And then there was Wyatt. Casimir remembered the incident from the morning but he figured talking would be better than nothing.

"Hey Wyatt," said Casimir sitting one seat away and resting his arms on the headspace behind him, "So how'd your mission go? I heard that damn
suka Marionette got her ass handed to her by Kiris?"

[Auropa]

Mike Mathews
Wonder Facility

‘You’re Nothing.’

The words echoed in Mike’s head. He knew there were people stronger than him, only an idiot would think themselves invincible. But this? This was something he wasn’t ready for.
Everything had gone wrong from the get-go. Hex was ready the moment he came down, his stupid ‘smoke screen’ only hampered himself but worst of all, Hex was just better than him. He easily dodged Mike’s attacks, literally dissolved his defence and didn’t hesitate to blast his helpless ass across the room. If the rest of the team and Warwolf didn’t enter when they did… Mike didn’t want to think about what would’ve happened to him.

"Mike? What the hell are you doing here? Are you alright?" Alexis asked him.

“You always seem to catch me at my worst moments” Mike said as he tried to force a smile “Hex got away” he eventually added disheartened. ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ he thought to himself. He could’ve stayed at the restaurant, stayed at home, see a movie, go for a walk, literally anything else. Why did he HAVE to come and throw himself into some stupid fight he had no part in?!

"L-lets go back to the surface and regroup for now..."

Hearing Alexis again snapped Mike out of his spiral for a moment and back to reality with all the pain that came with it. After all it had been through, his right arm was thankfully numb beyond measure, and apart from a few small injuries here and there, he didn't feel too bad. For now his main problem was from over using his powers and receiving Hex's attack, whether it was from a concussion, just plain exhaustion or a combination of both, Mike couldn’t stop his mind from spinning as his vision steadily shifted between blurred and black. ‘Fan-freaking tastic’ he thought to himself as he tried to regain his focus.

When his surroundings began to clear up a little, the group of less than happy Warwolf soldiers quickly came into his view ‘of course they’re pissed! YOU let Hex get away’. For a second Mike felt the need to apologize, to try and explain how he only wanted to help but as the words entered his head he realized it wouldn’t do any good. ‘For crying out loud even the new girl doesn’t want anything to do with you!’ he seemed to shout at himself as he noticed an unfamiliar Young Blood begin to move close, only to seemingly back away with one of the Warwolf soldiers.
While still not ready to make eye contact with the team, Mike eventually gave a wordless nod and dragged himself to his feet while bracing against the wall for support. “I’m fine.” He added a bit more coldly than intended as though expecting someone to comment on his balance.

After that, it was a relatively quiet walk to the surface followed by a short flight to the tower. With some time to himself, Mike’s mind finally began to properly settle and when it did, it gave him plenty of room to think about how screwed he should’ve been right about now. And yet, something about being tossed around the room so easily, about being called nothing, it had knocked him down a peg for sure but it also pissed him of. He felt bad about everything that had happened, but he also really wanted to smash that stupid mage's face in. The way Hex looked at him, like he was nothing more than some fleeting curiosity THAT really pissed him off ‘…Yeah. This is gonna haunt me for a while’ Mike finally decided with a sigh as he tried to calm down. Like it or not, he lost, badly.

Forcibly pushing his thoughts on Hex aside, he couldn't help but be worried about Naja. Unlike what he imagined, there wasn’t any lecture, no anger or surprise, no speech to motivate or critique the team, instead she was nigh on silent the entire trip, only moving to help some of the more injured and unconscious Young Bloods. It didn’t take Mike too long to figure out that the team had split up at some point earlier on to fight another attack and while it looked like they were at least able to catch their villain, they weren't looking too healthy with a few pretty nastily beat up members among them. For his part, Mike stayed quiet and tended to his own wounds, which all things considered, weren’t too bad, his arm was going to hurt like hell for a while but despite everything, it didn't seem broken or even fractured ‘of course, if that fight lasted any longer…’ he began to consider before pushing the thought away ‘like I’m going to let that punk get in my head’ he finally decided half-convincingly as he bandaged another cut.

When the plane landed Mike went straight back to his room, it hadn't been long but he was still happy to see it the way he left it. Though to be honest, the only thing differentiating it from any standard room was the duffel bag on the bed, a lightly plated suit leaning against the wall and a plain looking computer. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but after everything that had happened the first thing he grabbed was his communicator “not much help now aren’t you?” he muttered to himself. Next, he opened the bag and grabbed a neatly folded change of clothes. Despite the blood, sweat and ‘what is that? Gunpowder?’ Mike’s nose could still pick up the sickly sweet smell stuck to it and after all the close calls and violence of tonight, remembering that he may have destroyed his own social life wasn’t exactly comforting.

One shower later and Mike was on his way to dinner, still working to keep recent events out of his head, he had begun to think about a codename. ‘Its not that I want a super hero name’ he told himself ‘its just that I can’t have people calling out my name to a bunch of murderous super villains.’ But as fate would have it, nothing had come to mind, everything sounded too cheesy, vague or like it came from some angry 12 year old. By the time Mike finally reached the kitchen he had all but given up, though as he entered, he saw that a few Young Bloods had already arrived and for the most part, did not look happy. While not entirely sure what he was feeling himself, he decided that he didn’t want to be depressed or angry. Sure, things went horrifically bad, nigh-on worst case deathless scenario levels of bad but last time things went south, he lashed out and ended up hurting rather than helping anyone, this time he wanted, or at least hoped, that things would go differently.

“Hey everyone.” He called out somewhat cheerfully as he grabbed some much needed food and plopped down on the couch. He wanted to say something to try and lift everyone’s spirits but being honest, 'cheerfulness' was pretty far from Mike’s talent. ‘Where’s Carter when you need him?’ he thought to himself as he remembered his uncanny ability to lighten just about any situation thus far. Eventually Mike decided to give up and listen for a change, he had left with just about no warnings twice now, and as far as he could guess, he would be the last person anyone here would want giving any sort of uplifting talks, the least he could do was hear everyone else out for a while.

[Finland SSR]

Shi Smith

Renata Martinez, the heroic Stella!

July 24

---

Yesterday was... something.

If we were to massacre the concept of a rich vocabulary, that is. But so many things happened back then that it was hard to even put that day into a single category, neither good nor bad.

The Cabal. Breaking shock absorbers. Nearly suffocating to death. Icarus. Icarus. That damn moth monster. A pyrrhic, exhausting victory. Carter bringing a disgusting dog to Wonder Tower. And, above it all, a nagging, dragging thought at the back of Renata's mind:

What now?

Well, she did decide during that fight that she really needs more practice with her powers. The shock absorbers on her arms and legs - and thank goodness that her father was clever enough to provide her spares in the same package, because she broke three of them during that fight alone - were definitely a boon, but seeing as how Renata's fighting style was radically different from what they required, she needed practice to decide on new techniques and adapt the gadgets into her new fighting style, which meant that she would need to dedicate a lot more time to training and practice.

There's a problem with that, though - training alone is not going to be time efficient, and who could offer a hand and be a sparring partner for her? Good question with no obvious answer.

Well. There was an answer which Renata might have liked, but, unfortunately, it would be pretty tough to get a vigilante on the run in Wonder Tower.

Speaking of-

Renata, strolling across the corridors of the Wonder Tower in this early morning with a white blouse and jeans, made the mistake of making a sharp turn to the left around a corner, suddenly bumping head-first into a person with a loud thud, which knocked away the pink-haired girl's line of thought instantly.

"Mierda!" Clutching onto her head and moaning a little, Renata stumbled back for a second and then suddenly pulled her right hand forward as a finger pistol, sparks of light starting to crack at its tip almost immediately.

What Renata had bumped into was not any of the Young Bloods she knew, or a person she was familiar with at all. Rather, it seemed to be an unfamiliar brunette girl, slightly taller than her. Far from being in the best mood, Renata toyed with the option of just opening fire at the intruder, but more sensible portions of her mind won over and the girl decided to ask the necessary questions first.

"Villain? Spy? Thief?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

July 23rd

---

---

Icarus simply rolled his eyes as Aleta decided to start being her usual self. Yes, that's her alright. He said to his insides; he had never been close with her but it didn't take a genius to notice, even from afar, the way she acted around basically everyone. Similarly, he was not surprised when she hinted at the fact that she was just doing it for fame; while it was apparent to him that it wasn't her only motive, it fit her personality quite well.

His fellow vigilante soon offered him her contact info, and while he raised an eyebrow at the idea of using burners, lacking the disposable income to buy them regularly, he noted down her number in his phone regardless as soon as she undid his restraints.

The girl's next few words caused him to frown, and then raise an eyebrow again. "What? You're just going to go and buy- you know, that's not necessary. I hid a change of clothes a couple blocks away, I can get to it without Warwolf catching me, even like this." He said, referring to his powerless state, before standing up with some effort. "And if you have to know... I promised to go meet up with my girlfriend tonight, so that's where I'm going. I'm certainly not dumb enough to waltz into Warwolf again tonight, especially without my powers." He stated, crossing his arms and awaiting her next remark. "Hope that's enough for you, because I'm running late."

---

Fortunately, it wasn't much longer until Aleta decided to let him go, and though there were a few Warwolf patrols combing the perimeter, hiding from them was easy enough, even though his powers hadn't yet come back. It helped that he took off his masks and undid his ponytail; while his clothes were still the same as Blackout's, if any Warwolf soldiers got a glimpse at his face they likely didn't think of him as anything other than a civilian.

Alright, here's the place. The blond boy thought as he ducked into a dark alley, searching behind an empty trash container and retrieving a simple unmarked bag full of his clothes. Icarus grinned, and then looked around. It was evident that there was no one around at this hour, so the vigilante began the awkward task of changing into a different set of shirt and pants, also donning his favorite jacket, which he had brought along as well. Luckily for him, no one wandered into the alley, Warwolf or otherwise, and the adjacent buildings were deserted.

Phew, I guess I'm out of danger for now. Renata, wait for me. Icarus said to his insides, walking away from the alley only to stop after a moment.

Wait, you idiot. You can just text her. He thought as he pulled out his phone.

[The Republic of Atria]

[quote="Absolon-7";p="34886075"][/quote]

Wyatt

All the sulking he was doing did not take away from the fact that he was starving. Eating when you felt sad wasn't the answer, but he noted that he had lost some weight after he'd joined the team. All the training, running around, and forgetting to eat was the culprit. Skipping another meal was probably unhealthy and he figured that the steaming hot meaty spaghetti would take his mind off things if only for a few minutes. He grabbed a bowl and helped himself. Of the many things going wrong in his life, at least food remained consistently good. He sat back down at the couch, careful to not make a mess on the couch.

One thing he almost forgot about was pawning Jason off on Naja. In fact he only remembered when he saw him walk out of the office a few minutes later. He looked to be in a pretty good mood, so the interview probably went well. He also didn't seem to have any problems making himself at home, also grabbing a bowl and filling it up. So he was either pretty much on the team, or was pretending he was long enough to get some free food. He grabbed the remote to change the channel, he was pretty sure that neither him nor the rest of the team was interested in hearing CNN lambaste their team for things that weren't their fault. Unfortunately late night television wasn't particularly great either. Between Family guy and newer episodes of the Simpsons, he settled on the latter.

At least until he heard Casimir call his name, asking about how the fight with Marionette. Mostly how he heard that Kiris beat the hell out of her. He really didn't feel like talking about it, and Casimir asking brought back up wha happened earlier in the morning with his tail. "Yeah. Pretty much what happened." He replied rather curtly.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

July 23rd

---

“Well, that should be all. Normally I’d have to put your arm in a sling for a few days, but since I worked my magic, you should be fine if you just rest and don’t do anything strenuous with your arm for a while. The pain will go away soon enough.” Said Jacob as he gave Mars’ good shoulder a friendly slap, smiling reassuringly at his patient. The genius boy simply nodded and got up from the stool he’d sat in while the team’s resident medic fixed his shoulder, relieved about how smoothly the treatment had gone but frustrated that he’d had his arm dislocated in the first place. Jacob seemed to notice this, a frown appearing on his face for a moment.

“Don’t be so down, you all got back in one piece and that’s what matters.” The healer insisted, before glancing around the room. At that moment, the infirmary was empty save for the two boys and an unconscious Kirisvala resting in one of the beds nearby, the wounds she had sustained in her battle with Marionette healed, but her energy still returning after being completely exhausted. Looking back at Mars, he continued. “It doesn’t look like she’s going to wake up anytime soon, but she’s stable, so we should let her rest. I heard-”

At that moment, Jacob fell silent and the two boys turned to look towards the hospital bed as a weak groan escaped its occupant, then another as the alien girl stirred, her senses slowly coming back to her. The healer chuckled. “Well, I’ll be damned, I guess I was wrong.” He commented, glancing at Mars and noticing the mixed feelings on his face. It didn’t take him long to decide on a course of action, and he stepped over to the door before glancing back. “I heard Naja bought some food to reward everyone for their effort, so I’ll head over and take my share. You should probably do the same when you’re done here.” He stated. And with that, he walked away, leaving Mars alone with his girlfriend.

Mars walked towards Kiris’ bed, not really sure what he should say to her. He had gotten the story of what had happened from others and he simultaneously felt grateful and guilty. Grateful that she had saved him, but he felt guilty for having put her through a traumatic experience. When he reached her bed, he stood close to it with his hand resting on an empty space.

“Hey Kiris, are you feeling okay? Jacob didn’t think you’d wake up this fast, but I’m glad you did.” He told her softly. “There’s food upstairs, pasta I think, do you want me to go get you some?”

Hearing Mars’ voice close to her, Kirisvala opened her eyes, which slowly adjusted to the dim light of the infirmary. Carefully sitting up on the bed, she let out a big yawn and then looked at her boyfriend, softly smiling at him for a moment, though her expression quickly turned neutral as her mind backtracked and began making sense of what he’d said to her while she was still waking up from her slumber. Suddenly, she seemed to perk up, looking up at Mars. “Pasta? That’s ace!” She said cheerfully, hoping that there would be some with meatballs, her favorite human food so far.

Before Mars could leave to bring down a plate for her, though, she reached out and gently placed one of her claws on top of his resting hand. “But, um, we can go eat together in a bit, if ya want.” She told him a little shyly; at the moment, all she really wanted was to stay alone with him a bit longer. “I’m feelin’ fine, but what about ya Mars?” She asked, concern creeping into her voice as she glanced at his arm, the same one that Marionette had dislocated earlier.

“Oh I’m fine Kiris, don’t worry about me.” Mars said, instinctually reaching for his shoulder at her question. “Jacob did a great job, and it should be as good as new soon.” He told her, offering a sincere but tired smile. “And ya, I can stay if you want.” He told her, acutely aware at that moment that the two of them were alone. The things Kiris had said to Rocket began to creep into the back of his mind and he felt the need to say something meaningful in return.

“You know Kiris, I haven’t said thank you yet for what you did tonight. I heard the story from the others. I was in serious trouble and you didn’t hesitate to protect me. So I just want to say thanks, and well that I really look up to you as a hero.” He told her, a little self consciousness creeping into his mind as he wasn’t too used to saying things like this. He had been annoyed at first with how little he had managed to do against Marionnette, but he was happy that Kiris and the others had his back and managed to win the fight after all.

The alien girl listened as Mars assured her that he would be alright, smiling faintly at him and nodding, then beaming as he decided to stay. However, the hesitant words he spoke afterwards, while full of gratitude and admiration, brought her back to the dark thoughts she had while being carried back to the van by Rocket, shortly before passing out again. She looked down at her feet for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face. She faced Mars again afterwards, offering him a faint smile and gently squeezing his hand, though it was clear she was troubled.

“Ya look up to me, huh…” Kiris mumbled, turning her gaze down again. “I… I left you guys behind, I left you fightin’ two supervillains, and it didn’t turn out well… I don’t want to think about how much worse it could’ve gone…” She spoke, her expression turning into a frown as she removed her hand from Mars’ and instead clasped her claws together in front of herself. “Then, when I heard your scream, I was so scared, I regretted everythin’. I felt like I wanted to trade back all the hostages just so you’d be safe… And when I was fightin’ Marionette, I was so angry I think I nearly killed her twice.”

With a sigh, she hesitantly turned to look at Mars yet again. There was now a sad look on her face. “I’m happy I could save ya Mars, I’m happy she didn’t do somethin’ worse to ya, I really am. I… I just… don’t feel like a heroine right now. I feel like a scared and capricious little girl…”

“You shouldn’t feel guilty Kiris, what you were doing was really important. I mean, not only did you save civilians tonight, you saved me and beat Marionnette. None of us are perfect, and we’re going to make mistakes, but we have to take pride in doing good in the situations we can control.” The tech hero advised his girlfriend. He wasn’t exactly used to comforting people, particularly a girlfriend, but he really believed that Kiris had done a good job.

He frowned that Kiris moved away from his hand, he gently pulled hers back to his. “I’m never going to be disappointed in you Kiris, you never have anything to prove, especially not to me.”

Kiris smiled faintly as she listened to her boyfriend attempting to comfort her. This kindness of his that he displayed even when not fully knowing what to do was a trait she liked, it was part of what had made her fall for him. At the same time, while she appreciated his words of encouragement, she couldn’t help but remain unconvinced. It made sense in her head that she should be proud of what she had accomplished, but she simply wasn’t feeling that pride.

Feeling Mars pull her claw back to him and hearing the words he spoke afterwards, though, the Hadrian found herself surprised, then delighted, softly squeezing his hand again. “Thanks for sayin’ that, Mars. It means a lot to me.” She said quietly, sincerity in her voice. Pulling on the genius boy’s hand, she brought it up to her cheek and beamed up at him, the touch of his soft skin on her face enough to make her happy.

Mars smiled back at Kiris, “You’re welcome Kiris, I said it because it’s true but also… well because you mean a lot to me Kiris.” He said as she pressed his hand to her face. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “And I promise, I’ll never stop seeing you as a hero, even if you can’t see it in yourself.”

Kiris giggled as she felt Mars kiss her, a faint but noticeable blush spreading across her cheeks as the genius boy pulled away. Suddenly, the alien girl swung her legs to the side of the bed and stood up before pulling her boyfriend into a tight hug, smiling as she felt him embrace her as well. “And I’ll always try to be your hero, Mars, even if I don’t think I can.” She whispered softly.

The two stood there for several moments, quietly embracing each other, until finally Kirisvala backed up slightly and instead wrapped around Mars’ good arm. “I think I want to go get some of that pasta now. What do ya think?” She asked cheerfully. The boy nodded, and the two of them made their way out of the infirmary together.

---

After a while, the couple finally arrived at the living room, the walk there taking far more than it should have due to the two moving slowly to enjoy each other's company a bit longer. Walking in through the door to the living room while clinging to Mars' arm, Kirisvala looked around, noticing first and foremost the delicious-looking trays of pasta laud out on a table inside the room, probably a leftover from when they had organized the birthday party there. With glee she noticed that some of these trays were, in fact, trays of spaghetti made with a mouthwatering sauce and meatballs on top. She looked at them with greedy eyes and a ravenous appetite, but stopped herself short of darting towards the table right away; that would've been incredibly rude, after all.

"Thanks for cheerin' me up." She told Mars, returning his kiss on the cheek from earlier, and then darted towards the table, grabbing a plate and then using humans' strange eating utensils--she had gotten quite a bit of practice with them since coming to Earth, but their small size made them unwieldy--to serve herself a hefty helping of her favorite food. Then, without waiting to find a place to sit down, she took her first spoonful of the pasta, closing her eyes in delight. Nodding to herself, she walked away from the table, humming to herself as she looked for a place to sit, and someone to talk to: she'd heard from Mars that the people who came back from the Cabal mission weren't in very high spirits, so she hoped maybe offering them a bit of conversation would cheer them up to some degree.

Approaching the rather large living room couch from behind, she saw five people on it: Roy looking dejected on one side with Wendy trying to cheer him up, Mike sitting by himself in the center and, on the other side, Casimir attempting to strike up a conversation with Wyatt. Needless to say, the appearance of a teammate she hadn't seen in a while was always a nice surprise, so Kiris moved towards the center, though she also decided to converse with Casimir and Wyatt; Roy and Wendy looked busy enough by themselves, and she preferred not to bother them. I wouldn't have wanted someone to butt in on my moment with Mars after all!

"Mike! Good to see ya! Where'd ya been?" She greeted the older boy cheerfully, before looking towards the other two. "G'day Casy, Wyatt!" She said to them. "How'd things go on your end, Casy?"

[Segral]

Carter Graystone

"Stand down, kid. We have this here, go meet up with the rest of your team and leave the site. We've got work to do."

"Wait, WHAT?" Carter yelled, whirling around to face what appeared to be the commander of a small squad of Warwolf soldiers, running around and beginning to circle the prison of ice that he had been working. "No, let's ignore the fact that this superhero basically single-handedly prevented this guy from escaping his prison and wreaking further havoc, we can stop this force of tremendous power with our GUNS!". What kind of logic was that?!

"That's some bullshit if I ever saw it," Carter grumbled as he stood up, only to receive the end of a gun poking right into his chest.

"What did you say?" the commander hissed at a near-whisper volume, her face turning beet-red. Why were all these commanders female? Was the CEO of Warwolf a feminist, or did they make the entire hiring team a group of single men?

"I said that's some bullshit, cyka blyat!"

"Did you just call me a..."

"Yes, I did. Now excuse me while I go to rendezvous with my beloved team." Carter said, a smile growing on his face as he gained the satisfaction of watching the commander practically explode mentally, causing her to yell very loud instructions towards her terrified-looking platoon. Oh, the satisfaction.

But suddenly, things got bad quick.

Roy and Frostface began screeching like hawks at the Warwolf Head Honcho at the scene, and the lucky menage a trois were getting into a really heated argument. But out of nowhere, a figure appeared out of nowhere, a figure that was in a suit of armor that looked like a Warwolf juggernaut. But it was black and purple, or at least that's what he could see from behind the figure's back. As he got closer and closer, he began to make out the figure's words, especially considering the mere presence of it seemed to shut the arguing threesome up.

But as soon as he heard the voice, he stopped.

"Au revoir."

It was the same voice he had heard in his vision, the one in the garbled language. The same light accent that he couldn't place, the same vocal timbre, every letter was pronounced the same. 'Au revoir' was French, or at least that's what his time at that foster home in New Orleans told him. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. The accent was French, the woman was speaking French! 'Au revoir' meant goodbye, so that was easy to determine. And now, the garbled sentence he had been pondering before suddenly made sense as well. 'La marionette...ta...salue'!. That's what she was saying. 'Marionette' is 'puppet', 'la' is 'the', 'ta' is possessive, it means 'your'...and 'salue' means 'greet', or 'welcome'.

"Your puppet greets you".

What did that mean?

Looking up brightly from his pondering, the sight that greeted him was...not pretty. Somehow, the Human Popsicle and the Frenchwoman disappeared, and the argument had gotten even further, with both sides pointing fingers at each other. Eventually, the Warwolf soldiers began to march away, in a more embarrassing single-file line than a group of Sea Cadets. Roy was obviously fuming, and he told everyone to...pack up and leave?! WHAT! HE LOST AGAIN?!

"DAMMIT!" Carter yelled, punching a nearby pole with as much might as he could in sheer frustration. Granted, it wasn't very much force, but it still caused his knuckles to begin bleeding. He was pissed off, but he tried to keep his cool together for those friggin' reporters beginning to reapproach the battle site, like moths drawn to a flame.

Back to square one.

---

Much like the rest of his team, Carter was plenty fuming over the loss but did his best to hide it. After all, there were too many depressed mopes in the team, there needed to be some source of cheer. Granted, he was nothing compared to Kiris in that department, but the least he could do was act stupid and gain some laughs. It was the most he could do.

Or maybe there was another way.

A big, fluffy dog tended to lift people's spirits, right? And Carter had Harley in his room, a dog that he was going to show them right as they came back from the mission. It was perfect timing!

Suddenly, he sprinted towards the nearest staircase, not bothering to wait for the elevator. Taking the stairs three at a time, he flew up the steps, eventually reaching the floor in which his dorm was located. Practically slamming his hand onto the new-fangled palm geometry reader, he waited for the device to beep with confirmation, before slamming the door handle down and swinging it out.

It seemed like Harley had done some exploration in his room, as it was in a minor state of disarray. His stuffed bear was near the door, with Harley whining and whimpering over the teddy bear like he was mourning his dead body. But from a quick glance, he could see no visible slash marks or leaked stuffing, just a couple of scratches and a whole lot of drool.

Gingerly placing the bear back down, he noticed a cardboard box that was tipped over near the bed, the books inside spilled out. And one of these was...crap! Harley found his comics! Freezing up with the door still ajar, Carter managed to splutter out a "HeeeEEEy, HAAAArlEEY!", his voice cracking to new heights. "Wonder what you found thEEre, hEEy, fella?" he weakly chuckled, sorting the books back in the boxes as he attempted to calm his breathing.

Managing to regain his composure, he turned to Harley and bent down, clipping the red leash to Harley's collar. "Now c'mon buddy, you're going to meet the rest of the team now. Don't worry, you'll love them! But...just stay out of their bedrooms at night." he said enthusiastically into his ear, standing up as Harley was fully fixed to the leash.

"Now let's go!"

A short elevator ride later, the duo headed out into the hall outside the team living room, just behind the wall so they were out of sight. Carter was right, everyone did look glum, even Roy in all of his pep-talk-ness looked like a wreck. They really needed pet therapy. Except for Kiris, who was all bubbly and pleasing as always. Just thinking of her made him sick to his stomach, angry even. Why was she such an attention hog all the time, why did everyone have to revolve around her like planets around the Sun? Wait...why was he getting angry? It was just Kiris' personality, why did he resent her for that? Now he was just scared at his own mentality...never mind, he could deal with his emotional exorcism later, now was doggy time.

"Alright, Harley, stay here," he said, bending over and looking him straight in the eyes. "When I say 'Harley, come!', you run inside the room, where all the team is, OK?" he said, giving him a head pat and a quick "Good boy!" as advance payment for his duties. Giggling with excitement, he strolled inside the room, a huge smile on his face.

"LUCY, I'M HOOOOME!" he shouted out in his best Ricky Ricardo impression as he walked towards of the middle room. He had watched enough "I Love Lucy" reruns to get the accent down. And...not even a laugh. A couple mutters and smiles, but...nothing. "Wow, tough customers, eh?" he said weakly, blushing scarlet. Jesus, was he already losing his touch. Think man, think. Oh right, Harley!

"Anyways, guys, I have a surprise planned to cheer you guys up!" he said to the room, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I know you usually don't like my surprises, but you'll love this one."

"Say hello to your newest team member. HARLEY, COME!"

---

Sir Edward Whilton of York
Chapter 7: The Port Crusades

This city was crazy.

Every day, there was something afoot in this strange village. First, it was that sleazy alehouse he passed by. Interestingly, the alehouse had no women drinking; the patrons were all men. However, there were still women at the bar, upon a big wooden platform called a stage. There were several poles in this stage, and the women were heretically dancing around them, wearing outfits that made them look like succubus'. When he asked a man about the alehouse, he simply laughed and walked away! But even worse was the next day. Apparently, to this city, a "super-hip urban massage parlor", a place that promised a relaxing way to relieve Edward's back and neck pains, is a brothel! In broad daylight! Christ, forgive him. And worse still, he called this new service, Uber, that apparently allowed other people to share carriages with you to get from destination to destination, and guess who drove his carriage?

A Muslim!

However, he did like the port. Even if he wasn't technically a sailor or fisherman, the port was a beautiful place. Reminded of old England's harbor. It was always busy, crowded with people, goods, ships, seagulls, and smoke, alive with chatter, footfalls, and crashing waves, smelling of salt, tar, and rotten fish. You could practically taste the brine on your lips, the lobster meat on the tongue, feel the wind rushing past your fingertips, the sanded wood of crates callousing your palms.

It was a spectacle beyond spectacles.

It was a late night, the only light in sight being the strange, tall torches that lit the streets, and the Ol' Man Moon above. He knew every crease and pockmark in that Old Man's visage, a beauteous sight to behold in a village so foul. It was by this moonlight that Edward spurned Harold onwards, heading through the narrow stucco and brick alleys in order to avoid being seen atop a skeletal steed. The last time that happened, he had a lot of explaining to do to the city guards, the ones called the police. Luckily, thanks to something called a sobriety test on the snitcher, he was allowed to roam free.

He knew exactly where he was, he had spent that much time here. Two lefts, a right, continue on, one more left, and the port was near, the sprawling docks stretching to either side. But something was amiss. He smelt gunpowder...and heard gunfire! Through the light of the moon, as well as a torch, he could make out two figures with tiny cannons in their arms, firing shot after shot at some poor men aboard a large ship! Poor dears! They were attempting to fire back, but they were badly overwhelmed. Oh, how the innocent die! Suddenly, the torch went out, plunging the scene into almost-shapeless figures. He could now barely see the two shooters on the docks, but they were there, he could smell the smoke.

Good thing he kept his armor in his saddlebags.

A few minutes later, a mighty "STOOOOP!" pierced the air, as the former knight flew on horseback across the dock, sword in one hand and shield on the opposing arm. With the moonlight glinting off of his armor, it appeared almost frightening, as the silver-suited man aboard his skeletal horse, a horse that moved faster than a car, raced across the dock, one hand with a sword aloft and another lashing the reins.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" he screeched louder, lashing even harder and driving his heels into Harold's ribcage. With a squeal, he ran forward even faster, pushing his limits.

Unfortunately, at that speeds, it's hard to keep track of what's around you. Especially when it's a lobster crate ready to trip you over.

The horse practically screamed as the two went flying forwards, Harold landing hard on his side while Edward went tumbling in a sideways roll across the ground. Somehow, his shield stayed on, but his sword was a little ways away. Leaping back as best as he could to pluck the sword back up, he managed to get to his feet under the heavy armor, and began to sprint in the same trajectory, continuing his charge on foot.

"BY THE PRAISE OF JESUS CHRIST, STOP THIS MADNESS!"

[Turmenista]

"HARLEY, COME!"

Harley the Dog

Lifting his head up from the base of Carter's bed, Harley's heightened hearing picked up the sound of stomping nearby—or, rather, someone blasting their way up the stairs. Then, he got really excited when the shadow of someone appeared by the door, smelling exactly as musty and awkward as Harley thought Carter was. Eyes widening, Harley stood upright, barely able to contain his excitement as Carter swung the door open, then paused. suddenly. Evidently, he was aware that he had done some exploration in his room, taking note of the stuffed bear that had been tossed around (thankfully, not eviscerated), the other miscellaneous things tossed around, and the strange cardboard box that had all of the "Galaxy Girls" on the front.

Harley saw Carter's face drain of color as he slowly approached him. The German Shepherd tilted his head like a bird as Carter frantically tried to stuff his contraband back into the box, kicking it back under his bed as he smothered Harley with headpats and love, his voice cracks reaching heights that Harley only thought birds could do. What was so wrong about the Galaxy Girls anyways? They didn't seem any different than any regular human...

Carter bent down, clipping a red leash to the collar he had—it was a step up from the metal collar that the guys at the lab had, which sometimes were armed to explode, so he could only pant and wag his tail in excitement at the thought of being given something a large step up.

"Now c'mon buddy, you're going to meet the rest of the team now," Carter explained in his signature reassuring voice to his ear. "Don't worry, you'll love them! But...just stay out of their bedrooms at night. Now, let's go!"

Oh, I won't! I mean—I will! I don't want the snake lady to eat me!

A short walkie down to the elevator and trip down the lift came next, followed by Carter leading them out into the hall near the living room, out of sight. Harley could already hear the rest of the team, each with their own different voices, all sounding... sad? Save for one, who had a high-pitched, accented voice. Carter bent down next to Harley, instructing him to stay where he was when he went out of sight, additionally giving him some very important instructions: "When I say "Harley, come!', you run inside the room, where all the team is, OK? Good boy!"

Sounds simple enough. Run in when he says my name, got I—wait, was that my cue now?

Harley ran into the... wrong room, seemingly a laundry room, swatting his head around for the rest of the team. These were washing machines, not peopl-

"HARLEY, COME!"

One of his ears picked up the noise, and so, he immediately batted his head around racing towards the sound at full speed, practically gliding above the ground as he did so..

..Oh wait, I actually am flying.

Awkwardly floating into the room, Harley sat himself down in the center, looking around at all of the new people of all different shape, size, and species in the living room, panting.

"Woof." Hi everyone! Nice to meet you!

[Absolon-7]

Wyatt

Kiris

Casimir Herman July 23rd
Casimir waited for Wyatt to answer his question but he was sorta disappointed with the curt response. Well he should have expected this as the dragon had been all gloom and doom lately. At least he answerd the question which was nice but it didn't tell him much.

"Sounds like how I expected it to go then," confidently said Casimir, "But I guess that's the end of that. Got any preferences when it comes to shows?" While Casimir waited for him to answer he spotted a healed up Kiris greeting both of them. She asked about how the Wonder Foundation mission went and in his head Casimir was a bit sour in his mood towards it.

"Hey, Kiris. Good to see ya healed up," he said giving a small wave, "Things went kinda south for us. Those damn Cabal got away with the super serums cause we were too distracted with the street fight. And it didn't help that Warwolf swarmed the area blocking us right before we could've stopped them."

[The Republic of Atria]

Wyatt

Kiris

Casimir

"Nope." Wyatt replied, tossing him the remote and looking over to see all the commotion. Kiris looked healed up from her injuries, which was good. Healed enough that she was back in her usual mood. He honestly didn't feel much like talking and gave a half heart wave to her and went back to his meal. The quiet was once again short lived as Carter burst into the room with a flying dog. Of all the things he expected to happen, that wasn't even in the top one hundred. The dog seemed friendly enough, even if Wyatt didn't really see the appeal to dogs or cats. That must just be a human thing, some attachment to them that he simply didn't have because he wasn't human.

Casimir explained that, yes, his suspicious were right in that Warwolf was the one who screwed everything up for them. He remained unsurprised at that, but the fact that he somehow remained in a rather good mood almost annoyed him. How was he feeling better about losing than he was about winning? That got him thinking to what the Cabal were intending to do with all that super serum, and then immediately stopped caring since there was almost no chance he'd be able to do anything about it since he got in trouble for raiding Warwolf. The more and more he saw of them screwing up only made him feel that his raid was justified.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Blizzard/Sam Croft
July 23rd, evening
Near the Wonder Foundation, San Diego

During the battle, Sam kept to the rooftops, watching amateur video stream in on his phone's eyepiece. He showed off what he could do with ice ramps -- a few graceful leaps across major streets to buildings closer to the action -- but kept well clear of Wolfie's outermost patrols. No reason for them to get the idea he wasn't on their side. It would slow him down responding to the teens, but he wanted the reason for his appearance to be obvious to Wolfie. The kind of emergency that gets Roy to call for adult help ought to do.

"You guys do that." [...S]he reached out to touch Beast's shoulder. Before Warwolf's soldiers could react and stop her, she gave everyone a dainty little wave, and then disappeared along with the vampire.

"Great, just great! The Cabal has a teleporter too! Aw, fuckit!" Sam looked around for something to kick, and not finding anything, cursed under his breath. When he calmed down, he added, "Note to self: research methods of shutting down teleporters."

Sam waited for the teens to start heading for their jet before starting to head home. His mouth curled into a half-smile: he had video of his little visit to Wolfie's Lair to study, and maps to update. The evening wouldn't be a total loss.

July 24th, late morning
Wonder Island

Sam skated up to the Wonder Island causeway; he'd changed from disguise to uniform a half-mile earlier: better to be seen as a hero on patrol. He watched Young Bloods Tower grow before him. The kids ought to have licked their wounds by now. If Alexis is as competitive with Wolfie, she might even be up for helping to taking them down a peg.

Arriving at Naja's office, Sam rapped on the half-opened door with a knuckle. "Got a few minutes? I'd like to show you something." He helted the laptop tucked under his arm.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

---

---

Kirisvala nodded at Casimir as the boy commented on her being all patched up, responding with a small 'thanks!' before listening to him tell her about how the mission at the Wonders Foundation facility had gone, all while eating another big spoonful of spaghetti with meatballs. Sadly, it seemed that their assignment wasn't a success, which explained why so many people seemed like their spirits were pooling at the floor. For a moment, she felt a pang of guilt running through her thoughts over what happened just a few minutes earlier. There she was, moping about not feeling like a heroine after her relative success at the Hilton--all the positive things Mars listed probably made it count as a success, even if one of the villains escaped--while some of her teammates had far worse luck on their mission. At least it didn't seem like there were any grievous injuries on their side, judging by how the medical bay was empty when she awoke.

The alien girl quickly shook those thoughts out of her head. I'm not gonna help cheer anyone up if I'm gettin' all gloomy too! She told herself. Not that it seemed like she'd be able to do much; one of the other two she had addressed, Wyatt, was just as dejected as Roy and Frost Bite seemed to be, despite having gone to the Hilton mission alongside her instead. It really didn't seem like he was open to conversation, and in any case it didn't seem like that would do much to cheer them up. Maybe I should just not bother them...?

"Oh... I guess that explains why ya guys are all feelin' a little down." She said with a chuckle. "But if Warwolf stopped you from catchin' the bad guys, then it's their fault the mission failed, not yours! Ya don't have to feel bad about it." She stated, fully believing what she said; if it was true that they'd done everything they could and Warwolf ruined it, then the blame fell squarely on the PMC. "Things went a little better on our end. I managed to get the hostages out thanks to Wyatt here and everyone else who was keepin' the bad guys' attention. They really helped the mission succeed! And we also got Marionette at the end, though the other guy escaped." She narrated, sending a bright encouraging smile in Wyatt's direction before turning back to Casimir, hoping that the compliment would help; it was the truth, after all.

"Anyway, ya two look like ya need some space, but if either of ya want to talk, I'll be around. Enjoy your food!" The Hadrian told Casimir and Wyatt in her usual cheerful manner before scooping another spoonful of pasta and taking a couple steps away from them and closer to Mike. Maybe he'll be a little more open?

While waiting for the recently returned Young Blood to respond, though, she heard a commotion behind and turned around to see Carter standing in the center of the room, announcing that he had a surprise for the team and then calling out to someone. A surpise? Great! Hopefully it'll help some of the long faces in here! Kiris thought, waiting expectantly. She certainly wasn't expecting what happened next, though. After Carter spoke, a dog of some type or other--she was unfamiliar with the distinctions, though they all barked--floated into the room, seemingly under its own power, before landing on the floor and greeting everyone with a woof.

A greeting that she understood, of course.

"G'day Harley! Nice to meet ya too!" She eagerly returned the dog's greeting, giving a little wave with her free hand. "You're a pretty bark-bark aren't ya? That was a pretty cool trick ya did! Where'd ya learn to do that?"

Naturally, talking to an animal was likely to be seen as strange by the people around her, but to her, it was normal enough.

[North America Inc]

-snip-

Shi strolled through the hallway nonchalantly, looking through the the various trinkets and paintings that dotted its walls. Stumbling onto a dated water painting of a sailboat, she grimaced and said to herself, "Where did they get this IKEA?" She supposed that it would be best to get it out of the way and go actually meet the other Young Bloods, but she had her reservations. Meta-humans always had something odd about them, not including their abilities themselves; the GCI dossiers on the members ranged from very informative to unhelpful. It was this in predictability that made her so cautious about meeting the new colorful rogues who were now her partners, So instead here she was, staring at a painting that some interior designer bought in bulk.

Continuing on her way down the hall, she held her arms crossed through the blank corridors that just seemed to go on forever. That was an exaggeration, but with everything appearing so generic....the whole layout becomes lost in the white noise. It had only been a few minutes since her and Naja finished their conversation, the tour still fresh in her mind; but even then, it seemed as if the building would change design on a whim. Reaching a crossroads between going down the hallway or taking a flight of stairs, Shi murmured to herself, "Turning a right there leads to the courtyard...."

Taking the right, the words of her handlers flashed before her head, "Chù chù wén tí niǎo." The Tang era poem having permanently etched itself in her subconscious, with memories of organizational loyalty and sparring sessions usually following suit. But what was she loyal too? She knew that the Guild knew what the best for her, but the facade never sat well with her. While the introduction to another organization had always excited her, she wondered what was the point of the secrecy and trade-craft involved with this position. Well she knew politically why, but not ethically why. The YB and the GCI fought for the betterment of the human condition, but the placement into a de-facto allied organization seemed like a waste of resources.

She pulled out her phone like she always did but with entirely different reasons. She usually read her phone when she was bored or annoyed, but the gut feeling in her stomach was something entirely new to her. She wasn't too emotionally stunted to not recognize it as anxiety, but it felt so foreign to her. Was it the questions of loyalty that brought it out? Or was it whether her fear that the Young Bloods would not accept her as one of her own? She shook her head and continued on, but the pestering and doubt clung. She tried to drown it through sheer noise but that did nothing for her.

She passed by the same art again. The sailboat in the open sea, painted circa 1991 as listed on the edge. She looked around her surroundings, was it the same painting or did they have hundreds of copies of the same sub par work. She stared intently, studying it; the smudge of paint that was suppose to be the captain clung to the steering wheel, while an ominous image of dark clouds hung over the corners. It was left widely open for interpretation onto what he was thinking, she looked closer and could swear she make out some indication of some ferocity on his brow. Maybe he was desperately trying to get away from the oncoming storm, fighting to stop the inevitable force that was going to overcome him. "Pathetic..." she said lightly. Her eyes shifted away from them man, to the faint reflection of her coming through the glass. She saw her uneasiness on her face, the self doubt of a teenager. Rather than think self assess, she furthered her brow in an angry expression before plastering a smirk.

As she stood staring at herself, a girl came barreling through the tight corner and ran into her. Shi felt the force of the girl's head dig into her shoulder, pushing her a few centimeters before she easily regained her balance. The same can't be said for the girl who fell back a few feet in a daze. Shi turned to instantly recognize the girl, Renata Martínez, daughter to Dictator Sergio Martinez of Ecuador. Her gaudy pink hair was more than enough to give that away.

The girl sputtered out, "Villain? Spy? Thief?" She held a gun pose with the sound of energy coursing through them.

"Oh yes, you got me. My ingenious plan to have you staring at the ground while you barrel into me." Staring at her dyed nails she continued with her snide sarcasm, "Who knew your carelessness can be so easily quantified and predictable."

[Bentus]

Red - The Mask
Hilton, Downtown

---

“Where...is...she…”, Red mumbled as he stumbled through the main area of the Hilton, the edges of his vision beginning to darken as blood continued to drip down profusely from his left arm. It hung down limp at his side, any use in it practically gone. He knew he needed to treat it soon or else he would be at a real risk of passing out if not worse, but the adrenaline still pumping in his veins gave him the strength to continuing searching for where the two combatants had ended up.

As much as it pained him to admit, Kirisvala’s sudden appearance into the fray had likely saved his life. He was more or less completely out of gadgets to use, and even if his arm had not been in the shape it was now, he knew damn well that he wouldn’t have been able to last much longer in an all out brawl against the villainess. When Kirisvala and Marionette had disappeared elsewhere to continue fighting, Red couldn’t stop himself from falling onto his knees, his breaths deep and pained as he struggled to force himself back up.

Even with this fucking suit, I still couldn’t do much more than put a fucking scratch on her, he thought bitterly to himself as he headed towards the sounds of battle, the unmistakable singing voice of Kirisvala ringing loudly in the building. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash, followed by utter silence.

“Kiris!” he shouted out, quickening his limped pace towards where the cloud of rubble and debris filled the air. With his right arm, he shakily pressed the release button to lift up the visor on his helmet, the air thick with dust and smoke. As the particles in the air began to settle, Red found what, or rather who, he was looking for.


Marionette’s still body laid sprawled out on the floor below, her face and exposed arms showing a plethora of cuts and bruises. Where’s… Glancing over, he saw the backs of the rest of his team. Rocket, or rather what remained of it, carried Kirisvala’s unconscious body in its arm, while Wyatt appeared to be helping Mars walk towards the exit. Red let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, relieved to see the others had made it through. However, his relief soon faded, as his eyes wandered back towards the unconscious villain lying before him.

“Marionette…”

She didn’t respond to his words, only shallow unconscious breaths showing any sign of life left within her. A mixture of emotions flooded over him, hate most certainly being one of them, but guilt being the strongest of them all. While what little rational thought left within him told him otherwise, he felt as if what had happened tonight was entirely his fault. I could have prevented this. If I had made sure she had made it to the prison, if I had planned out our attack instead of rushing in, if...if I was stronger, Kiris, Mars, or these civilians wouldn’t have gotten hurt tonight. I could have...I should have… His thoughts returned to the words Marionette had said to him.

"How could you be so selfish, you fake hero?"

He knew he shouldn’t believe her. He knew that all she had been trying to do was throw him off with her words. It was what she did best, spewing out blatant lies and threats all while wearing the carefree smile on her face. But still, even knowing all of this, Red couldn’t help but let her words repeat over and over again.

"How could be so selfish, you fake hero?"

"How could be so selfish, you fake hero?"

"How could be so selfish, you fake hero?"

Selfish. Fake. Incapable of protecting those he cared about, including Yoshiro. Red bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood, his right hand curled tight into a fist as he stared down at the unconscious villain below him. Hate filled him, both for Marionette and himself.

A cough suddenly escaped from Marionette’s throat, shaking her violently awake. Almost immediately, she regretted having been pulled out of her slumber. Grimacing, the villainess felt the countless aches and pains crash like a wave on her conscience. Her mind felt slow and sluggish, fatigue and her injuries combining to cause the world to swim around her. Wincing at the pain that emanated throughout her body, the girl’s eyes slowly fluttered open. Pausing for a moment, she looked up at the gaping hole in the ceiling above her in confusion before her memories slowly began to seep back together. A faint smile spread itself across Marionette’s features as she let out an exhausted sigh.

So she beat me at the last second?

Allowing herself to lie motionless rather than risk exacerbating any of her wounds, Marionette was content to simply replay those crucial moments in her head. It was going to be hard to pick which part of the fight had been her favourite, but she suspected that she’d have plenty of time alone with her thoughts in the near future.

Her thoughts, however, were quickly cut off as a foot suddenly pressed down against her chest, pinning her to the floor. She let out an involuntary pained gasp, her hands instinctively reaching up to weakly grasp at the leg that was pressing on her torso. Her eyes sought to find the source of the pressure, widening as she saw a pair of familiar of blue eyes staring down at her. A small smile crept onto her face as she looked up at Red.

“Ah, just who I wanted to se-”

Her playful words were interrupted, however, as Red increased the pressure on her chest, pushing what air remained in her lungs with a pained whimper, as Red continued to stare down at her.

“Shut. Up. Already.”

Red kept the pressure down on her chest, feeling as Marionette struggled to inhale underneath his foot. Wincing, she took another glance above her, only this time seeing something within Red’s eyes that she had only seen once before. Unfeeling, uncaring, and devoid of mercy, eyes of pure hatred.

“I see...you’re a bit...angry,” Marionette said under strained breaths as Red refused to either lessen or increase the pressure on her chest. While normally she could have easily escaped from him, all traces of energy had left her after her fight with Kirsvala. At that moment, she was at Red’s mercy, and as she looked into his eyes, she quickly realized that mercy was something she wasn’t going to be able to rely on. Meeting Red’s cold gaze, the villain cracked a smile despite the difficulty she had forcing each breath. “Look at you getting all worked up...just for me?”

Red’s eyes narrowed at the vulnerable villain. Gritting his teeth, he felt his anger spike at the carefree smile. Somehow, seeing her taking defeat so casually made him want to scream. After all the pain that she had caused, all the suffering and torment that she had inflicted on others, how was it fair for her to act so calm? Marionette seemed to pick up on Red’s irritation, the fuming emotions that seemed to be bubbling right beneath his skin. Her smirk seemed to broaden, a slight glimmer shining in her bruised eye.

“So, what are you going to do now - hero?”

“I know what you’re trying to do, Marionette, and it’s not going to work.” A part of Red did whisper the suggestion in the back of his mind. He knew how easy it would be to rid the world of the menace at his feet, and in the past he wouldn’t have thought twice. But now things were different. “You’ve got nothing to smile about, nothing that you can hold over me and gloat. We won tonight, we saved those people back there.” Red pressed down just a little bit more, causing Marionette to grimace slightly. She definitely had at least one broken rib. Good, that means that this has to hurt. “The police are probably already outside, and I expect them to put you away for a long time. Even your friend back there knew to leave you out to dry. You lost.”

Red’s voice was firm, his words spoken harshly and without any room for compromise. For a second there was a pause, as if Marionette hadn’t expected his conviction. Her earlier confidence seemed to waver as Red thought that he saw her steal a glance over to where Floyd had been fighting the rest of the team. That battle was all wrapped up now, the swordsman having long since made his escape. Marionette's gaze seemed to hover there for a second.

“I...lost?” Marionette didn’t seem to direct the question to anyone but herself. Red couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction as he saw the gears in the girl’s head finally begin to turn. He wanted her to realise that they’d beaten her, that she’d failed in her sick and twisted goal.

“Well duh, you big dummie!” The sudden return to her usual carefree attitude nearly knocked Red back in surprise, his foot lifting ever so slightly from Marionette’s chest before he regained his composure. “But it was so totally worth it, don’t you think?” A series of coughs suddenly wracked Marionette’s body, a few specks of blood spattering on her features - though she seemed to pay her wounds little mind. Marionette squirmed, even while under the pressure on her chest.

“It was awesome to see the team all work so well together, and Kiris managed to get everyone out from right under my nose. How cool is that!”

Red’s jaw practically dropped. “Cool? Awesome?” His gut twisted in revulsion as he remembered just how crazy the girl before him truly was. He scowled as he felt a sense of disgust in his chest. It wasn’t even worth his time trying to reason or argue with her. Far better to focus on making sure that she disappeared in the deepest darkest hole that the authorities could find.

“Yep!” Marionette responded gleefully, seemingly taking Red’s stunned response at face value. “Although, I’m a bit sad that I won’t be around to find out what happens next. I would just love to have seen your reaction when you find out what happened to that telepath arm candy of yours.”

Red froze as Marionette’s words struck him in the gut. The rest of the room began to drift out of focus, leaving Marionette’s sinister grin in the centre of his view. “Yoshi…?” He stood speechless as a feeling of dread began to wash over him. Sensing Red’s growing realisation, Marionette began to dig her words deeper into his skin.

“Oh Red, come on. Yu’re smarter than that, you had to have been a bit suspicious that I just happened to do all this just when the Cabal were meant to attack.” Marionette giggled, although the sound came out rougher than normal as her lungs still struggled for air. “And yet you just couldn’t resist my little invitation could you? I knew you’d come no matter how convinced you were that this was a trap.” There was a sinister gleam in the defeated villain’s eye. “Although I did have to hope that you cared enough for your little princess that you’d insist that she stay safely away. Where you’d think she couldn’t possibly be where I’d -” Marionette’s words were suddenly choked off as a foot slammed down on her neck.

“What the fuck did you do?!” Red screamed as he pressed down on the villain’s throat, all thoughts of restraint suddenly vanishing from his mind. There was a fire burning in his eyes as he began to feel a sense of panic gripping his chest. “What did you do to her?!”

Marionette gasped for air, feeling what little strength she had left rapidly disappearing as she fought to hold back at least some of Red’s weight. “I...I just finished what I started...with some help.” She could feel her vision fading as her brain quickly found itself being deprived of crucial oxygen. For the first time, she began to feel a sense of panic setting in. She couldn’t go out yet! Not before she’d finished twisting the knife, not yet. She remembered all their previous encounters, all the times that the so-called hero had toyed with her. After everything that she had done, he had treated her like dirt - but now was her chance to get the satisfaction of seeing his heart crushed before his eyes. Taking another gasp, Marionette forced herself to continue. “But that was just the icing on the cake, darling. You defeated me, Red. But this was never really about us, or the boring hostages. This was about the real heroes. Why don’t you take a look at the rest of your team before you decide who really lost?”

Red gritted his teeth, his thoughts returning to the rest of the team that he had been in charge of. Mars had likely broken his arm, Kirisvala looked to be beaten to high hell and knocked unconscious, and there was no telling how the rest of the team had faired fighting Floyd. Not to mention, Marionette’s words managed to plant an ice dagger into his heart, as his worries moved on to Roy’s team. Yoshi…

The name should have evoked anger in him, knowing what Marionette had said. It should have drove him to finish her off, once and for all. He knew it would be the best course of action here. Marionette had proven to be too dangerous to let roam free, and based on her being here in front of him now, he knew it would only be a matter of time before she would escape whatever place he threw her into. It would only take a simple adjustment in pressure to cut off the remaining supply of oxygen flowing into her. And in her current condition, he knew she wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing about it.

However, for whatever reason, it did the opposite.

“It’s not about who lost anymore, Marionette. It’s a matter of waiting for you to realize you never had a chance of winning in the first place.”

Red’s voice was cold, the fiery rage from moments ago seemingly having washed away with the tides. He released his pressure on Marionette’s neck just a bit, pulling himself back from the brink. Marionette’s eyes looked into his own, her beaten, bloodied face twisting slowly into a smile even despite his closing words. She could feel her consciousness finally slipping away, the world growing dimmer and dimmer as a faint giggle escaped from her lips. He may have continued speaking, but she couldn’t muster the strength to continue listening anymore. Just before her eyes finally shut under their own weight, Marionette thought that she could see the dull-blue uniform of San Diego’s finest rushing into the ballroom.

She couldn’t help but continue to smirk, even as Red stepped aside to allow the police to read her rights while sealing her hands in a pair of cuffs.

He still didn’t understand, not entirely at least. But Marionette knew that Red and the rest of the team would figure it out soon enough.

[Auropa]

Kross Mathews
Location Unkown

With an audible hiss, a set of impossibly heavy doors closed behind Kross as he made his way into a seemingly endless corridor.
“How’d it go?” A familiar voice asked him.

“About as well as you’d think.” Kross replied “He already knew the investigation dried up. Though apparently the 'how part' was always more important than the 'who part', so now it’s all up to Kenji and R&D to get their own version working.”

“Shame. And just after one of the targets got back into the limelight too.”

“Tell me about it. But we found out what we needed to and after all the time spent chasing ghosts on this, you wouldn’t believe what’s piled up back at home”

“Believe me when I say I can, though I won't deny that I hate Leaving a job like this unfinished.” She added

“For once, I agree.”

“Shit. That’s gotta be a bad omen.” She said with a humorless smile “So while I have you in one of your rare serious moods, save me some time on the report and run me through what happened at the Foundation.”

“Long story short, it was shit show.” Kross began after his mandatory drawn out sigh “Nothing more than a bunch of idiots with decent gear, getting high off the sound of their own voices. I swear to god, being with regulars trying to fight is going to get me killed one of these days. How hard are the 4 pillars to understand? Manpower, magic, meta and tech. That’s it, that’s all there is.”

“And yet…” The woman chimed in, beyond familiar with Kross’ rant by now.

“Subtle.” He responded as he held back his monologue “Warwolf had some decent tech-based defenses but nothing in terms of meta and magic, not to mention their guys seem about as well trained and disciplined as a toddler that failed kindergarten, so I’d go ahead and dock them in terms of manpower too. Put it all together and it’s no mystery how the Cabal blast through them.”

“And the hero team?”

“The Young Bloods? Lucky.”

“That’s the closest you’ve come to giving a compliment this year.”

“I’m getting sentimental with age. As for them, decent co-ordination, arguable crowd control, somewhat acceptable fighting skills and pathetic intelligence gathering.”

“I’ll make sure to update our files.” The woman said as she keyed several commands into a screen suddenly brought into existence next to her “So, if you’re off the investigation then what’s next?” She asked.

“Apart from one or two bottles of whatever the hell I can find in the next hour or so, I’ll stay in San Diego. Might as well get my cover work out of the way and take a look at finally fixing up the fulcrum site.”

“What? You’ll finally get around to actually doing your job?”

“Only when you finally go back to hell, the mothership, the cave you crawled out of, or any other thing you’d find more offensive.”

“Nice talking to you too Kross.”

“Mel, if you actually think that, then I really need to dumb down my insults for you.” but by the time he had finished talking the woman was gone and Kross was left alone.

“Guess that means vacation’s over.” he said to himself as he flicked a non-existent switch and the world around him began to fizzle away.



Mike Mathews
Wonder Tower

‘Would you people just talk louder! How am I supposed to be the ever helpful, friendly teammate if I can’t figure what the hell anyone’s talking about?!’ Mike thought to himself as he strained to simultaneously listen to the quieter conversations in the room and not look like he was doing exactly that.

Causing him to suddenly sit up straight though was Kiris’ cheerful greeting.
“Wha-Oh me, nowhere much. I met up with some friends, relaxed a bit, went out. I mean, went out for dinner, like, went out for dinner with friends, not went out. Or almost did, Cabal kind of interrupted that plan.” Luckily enough for him though, his mangled response seemed to only be met with a warm smile as Kiris went on to greet the others. ‘Oh thank god for manners’ Mike thought to himself as he calmed down and smothered his momentary guilt ‘I mean, it’s definitely not eavesdropping if you’re trying to be helpful.’

It was at that moment when another figure entered the room with his patented energy and screaming some reference that, as always, shot well over Mike’s head. Despite being too confused to muster up even the most basic of fake laughs, he couldn’t deny that it was good to have Carter in the room ‘I swear, the guy can’t have an unhappy bone in his body’ he thought to himself. What came next though, Mike couldn’t have prepared for.

‘Oh. My. God.’ was all he could think as the flying dog steadily descended into the room.

“Woof.”

‘OH MY GOD!!!’ Suffice to say that Mike liked dogs. But by some warped twist of fate, people seemed to be treating it like the most normal thing to have happened today. Casmir and Wyatt kept talking like usual while Kiris gave it a disturbingly normal greeting.

‘Did something happen?’ Mike thought ‘How long have they known about it? Does it understand us? Do I greet it? Is this normal now? What else can it do? Am I not meant to freak out? Why can it fly!? Can other dogs fly?!? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!’

Despite Mike’s mind steadily undergoing a melt-down and his pupils dilating to at least twice their size, he managed to hold his composure remarkably well. ‘Just play it cool.’ He finally decided as he calmly placed his dinner next to him, got to his feet and moved next to the dog before wordlessly sitting down again next to it.

“Cool” he said flatly as he began to pet the newcomer.
‘(AAAAHHHHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! ITS SO FLUFFY!!!)’