Are We Heroes: Rekindled [IC]

[Triassica]

Andrew "Snake Eyes" Marks

Andrew Mark's grinned as he got up to leave class, feeling pretty good about himself after praise from the teachers. It was weird for Snake Eyes actually feeling proud about his appearance and his abilities after much bullying as a child. Before, back at the Orphanage, Andrew bought into his peers insults that he was some kind of freak and a loser, even despite his own Caretakers telling him otherwise. Now, however, being among people with powers just like him who he can compete with, it was easier now to let the insults go. Andrew had the capabilities of a hero, rescuing people and fighting bad guys, and that felt good.

Andrew, however, frowned upon hearing Alice's little jab at him, knowing full well it was said out loud on purpose. He turned away from the girl and turned to face Florence, the girl he actually liked, with Rango also looking at her, but still spoke so that Alice could hear. "Papillon is lucky, Florence, I didn't bring Lenny with me up there, unlike with Huntsman!" Andrew said in retortation with a bit of venom in his voice, "In all seriousness, I'm glad this school provides anti-venom in the case people get bitten. My own venom alone has been measured to be able to kill elephants..."

[Khasinkonia]

Shirley Florence Villarrubia

Everything backfired during the exercise. My ideas failed, and I’d been saved by sole grace of my nervous reflexes launching me out of the way of what would otherwise have been a painful attack. I just never could get close enough to get down and dirty with Fionn, and my team paid. I didn’t bother to think much on the lesson, taking my usual pencil notes and idly scribbling now and then. It was good to be left alone. The bad taste in my mouth needed to seethe for a while before it could go away. It really was a bit embarrassing to have been so squarely crushed as a team. Was it entirely my fault? Not exactly, but for the life of me, I could’ve done more.

As class let out, Alice seemingly decided that she had something to show for our failure, and, before I had a chance to properly respond, a retort came from Andrew. It did feel on some level as if the both of them were pining for my approval, as if it really mattered to them somehow. If it was the case, why they were so dead-set on my approval was beyond me. I closed my lower set of eyes, and lowered the lids of my main set in exasperation.

“Y’a’ know, ‘f I di’n know beddah, I’d reckon’ y’all’ere pinin’ fo’ ma’affection ‘r some’in’,” I commented, “Meas’rin’ up against each othah like dis to me...”

[WhatsamattaU]

Alice Bélanger ("Papillon")

Alice was slightly shocked at Flo's response. Andrew had made an attempt to get Flo's attention. There was bound to be some confusion as to what was going on. But Flo's response made Alice ponder a moment.

Alice did have the occasional romantic 'itch'.... Girls were safer than guys.... Plus, there was no way she would let Andrew win against her if she could help it....

Turning to Flo, Alice blushed and asked, "Suis-je si évident? (Am I so very obvious?)

Alice wondered what this might really lead to....

[Triassica]

Andrew "Snake Eyes" Marks

Andrew blinked as Florence cutted into his little verbal competition with Alice. If he was warm blooded like actual human beings, he would have turned pink. Yet Snake Eyes still gave the same kind of expression a boy would give to a girl thinking this competition was about her, especially a girl he liked very much. Still, Alice seemed to be playing along with this, and part of Andrew did actually believe it in the back of his mind.

"Uh... yeah, Florence, I guess so." He said, reaching into his hood to brush his lush black hair, "Too be fair though, my team did win fair and square, but no doubt you all did well too, right?"

[WhatsamattaU]

Alice Bélanger ("Papillon")

Alice glared hard at the reptile-boy.

"Are you some kind of prehistoric savage?" Alice challenged Andrew. "Do you think your team's victory today means that modern women should bow down and submit to you? Chauvanist!"

Alice gave a pleading look into Florence's eyes. Please!
Choose me!

[Triassica]

Andrew "Snake Eyes" Marks

Andrew now had the most dumbfounded look on his face after hearing Alice's new outburst. Rango turned to the competing girl, unsure where she was coming from too. It was now clear that Alice was interested in Florence too. "Bow down to me?" Snake Eyes asked, clearly confused, "Chauvanist? First off, I don't even know what that word means... Second, I'm technically blind, which makes me judge people on how they treat me, not by gender, race or what not... Third, didn't I complement you all?"

[WhatsamattaU]

Alice Bélanger ("Papillon")

Alice continued looking into Florence's eyes. She reached to take the other girl's hand, to hold it softly.

"Peut-être qu'il a des sentiments pour vous. (Maybe he does have feelings for you)" Alice admitted, "mais il ne peut pas regarder votre beauté avec ses propres yeux (but he cannot gaze upon your beauty with his own eyes). Et quand tu l'embrasses, ta langue peut-elle explorer sa bouche en toute sécurité? (And when you kiss him, can your tongue safely explore his mouth?).

Alice found herself thinking if sharing a long deep kiss with this girl. Had she not noticed before how much she wanted to be with her.

"Chaque nuit, des bras chaleureux et affectueux vous attendent (Each night, I will have warm and loving arms waiting for you)", Alice promised.

[Parcia]

Erwin Konig

He had managed to get the Good Doctors go to leave for a short time, as long as he had a nurse at his side for Monitoring. Internally he was cursing the old bastard for his stubborn nature, as much as he respected it to begin with.

He had gone around and gotten the recording of the training session so he could go over the results and turned the corner just in time to hear the exchange go down.

To say he was...surprised would be a slight understatement.

Taking a moment to exaggerate his Limp ever slightly, he makes his way towards the group. Giving the Florence a curt nod, he tapped Alice on the shoulder.

He knew she was fluent in German, and while his french was lacking, he chose not to address her in English. He spoke (In German) "Ello my friend, I happen to have the recording of our last training session and would like to extend to you the invitation to study them with me down in the infirmity, since the good doctor seems to think I need to stay for a few nights for observation."

He did have good intentions, mostly them being to help the girl to get out of this rather awkward situation. He turned and bumped in to Andrew, wincing in "pain" and giving him a sharp glare for a few moments before walking in to the class room to retrieve his work.

[Triassica]

Andrew "Snake Eyes" Marks

Andrew frowned even more confused when Alice began speaking in what could only be a different language. He certainly didn't understand what she was saying to Florence except that it most likely meant for her to hear. Nonetheless, what was clear from what he was watching through the eyes of Rango, was that Alice was trying everything she could to get Florence on her side.

Andrew frowned, not sure exactly how to respond to this, seeing the two girls cling onto each other like that. He sighed in defeat and shrugged with a shook of his head. "I don't know what she said..." Snake Eyes spoke calmly, but with a bit of sadness, "I guess the choice is yours, though... I don't mind, really..."

Rango then suddenly noticed Erwin, the Huntsman that Lenny bit, speaking in yet another language that Andrew, who felt his bump, didn't understand. Not that he had much to say at the moment depending on Florence's response. Maybe except this, though. "Say... You weren't at class earlier." He said, "Hope Lenny didn't give you too much of problem... I got notes if you want to look at them... My brallie device types letters with what I use. Though not much as it was more of a discussion session..."

[WhatsamattaU]

Alice Bélanger ("Papillon")

Alice didn't want to cruelly ignore Erwin, but his timing could not have been worse. Alice needed Florence to feel that she was the most important thing in Alice's life....

Then Andrew turned to address Erwin. Maybe those two could be friends?

Alice continued gazing into Florence's eyes.

[Khasinkonia]

Shirley Florence Villarrubia

At the earliest opportunity, I broke my hand away from Alice. Her and Andrew were going at it, and she indicated to me in French in no unclear terms that she wanted me...badly, it seemed. And Andrew wanted me too. Two people wanting me at once was a bit tough to grasp, as I never fancied myself particularly ravishing. I looked at Alice, piercing her with all four of my eyes now.

“Arrête. J’crois j’aime pas Andrew,” I said in French that bore a distinctively almost Dutch sound to it, picked up from my former French teacher, who spoke French with a Belgian twang, “Mais ça dit pas qu’je t’aime. J’suis pas prête d’aimer, je crois.” (Stop. I don’t think I love Andrew. But that doesn’t mean that I love you. I’m not ready to love, I believe.)

[Parcia]

Alice Bélanger ("Papillon")

Alice didn't want to cruelly ignore Erwin, but his timing could not have been worse. Alice needed Florence to feel that she was the most important thing in Alice's life....

Then Andrew turned to address Erwin. Maybe those two could be friends?

Alice continued gazing into Florence's eyes.

Erwin came out and stood for a moment, taking in the conversation in hopes of a return of his offer. When no such thing came, he sighed and went to walk on. Hearing Andrew, Erwin stopped and turned. Looking the young lad in the eyes, and spoke in return.

"I will decline your offer, on the basis that I do not wish to...I would prefer not to. As for your snake...well, unless you see his future being a freshly made belt on my waist, I would make sure it stays out of my life from now on."

He turned and began to leave, before stopping again, further down the hallway. "And for your information, this" He held up the cane, "Is not an exaggeration, lasting Nerve damage is a thing."

With that final comment done, he turned once more and made his way down the hall with the Nurse fallowing close behind him.

[WhatsamattaU]

Alice was relieved that Florence did not love Andrew. But the other was honest in that she didn't think she was ready for love at all.

Emotions fought inside Alice. Had she gone too far? Did she really want to be Florence's lover? Alice believed that she did.

With some sadness and some hope, Alice said. "Je comprends (I understand). Peut-être est-il trop tôt pour parler d'amour (Perhaps it is too early to speak of love). Cependant, j'espère que nous pourrons parler d'amour dans le futur (However, I hope that we may talk of love in the future).

Alice turned away.

Andrew was now speaking to Erwin. Alice had no desire to continue butting heads with the snake-boy.

To Erwin she said, "Ein anderes Mal, mein Freund (Some other time, my friend). Ich habe Schmerzen (I have an ache).

Alice walked out of the class and to her room. A book was waiting for her. Would she be able to begin reading it, considering the directions her mind was going?

[Triassica]

Andrew "Snake Eyes" Marks

Andrew gave a look of horror upon realizing the damage Lenny has done to the Huntsman, hearing Erwin's threats and Rango seeing the Cane. The shock came upon him like a ton of bricks falling onto his heart. That was not what Snake Eyes intended to happen, permanent damage onto a schoolmate, and he knew that Lenny, who returned to the dorm with the others didn't intend it either.

The snake man stammered and sulked his head with utter guilt. "I-i... I didn't want that to him at the excersie..." Andrew said, chokingly and shakingly, as if ready to burst, "I didn't know honestly... Lenny only gave enough venom to be easily delt with... I-I didn't..."

So soon after feeling good about himself and his powers, Andrew felt once again crushed by his own lack of control. Wiping his face of tears, the snake boy turned tail and ran, not bearing to be with the two girls any longer. No doubt they probably hate him now, knowing how dangerous he was. Snake Eyes didn't care where was going, with only Rango to be with him, but he wanted to be alone...

[Khasinkonia]

Shirley Florence Villarrubia

Beautiful. Andrew crushed by Erwin in an entirely nonphysical way, and Alice seemed to be desperately grasping at ways to renegotiate. Both of them walked off, leaving me to my own devices. All was balanced as I walked off to my room. Or was it, really? I'd gotten two romantic proposals today, and the two had immediately collided with one another. Gloves came off...for me?

It was clear I bore significant sway over the emotions of two people. Could I make use of it, lead them on with false hope I'd change my mind? It'd make for good entertainment, and I could make good use of them too. It'd be a nasty manipulative thing to do, but could I even pull it off? It was worth toying with, but it wasn't as if wanted anything from them. I'd hold onto the idea, anyway. Now, perhaps I could get a mid-morning snack today. That stress had worked up a bit of the munchies...

Being that the cafeteria was a little ways away, I stepped outside and tore water from the nearby stream that ran as a backbone to make wings, and launched off. I landed by the cafeteria, and decided not to leave a puddle, so my wings floated in a blob and splashed back into the stream they'd come from.

I stepped into the cafeteria, which was always open, and got myself a little snack. A leftover hashbrown, an apple turnover, and some coffee with plenty of sugar, and plenty of creamer. A second breakfast wasn't something I often had, but today left my mouth in sorry need of something that wasn't words or someone else.

[Okayanos]

Johan Vermaak
Vektor

Iair Szabo
Visionary

Iair looks at Johan as the kineticist shows up at class right as it ends. He’s silent for a time, red-eyed glare showing the general feeling of irritation he has on the Afrikaaner showing up so late. “The hit to your grade will be punishment enough. Any further transgressions like this will, more likely than not, result in failure of the course.” He states monotonously, albeit with just the slightest hint of venom in his voice.

“The ability to decide what’s most important will save your life in the field one day, Johan. Try and hone that ability.” Iair shuts his classroom door after he’s done talking. He has other classes to prepare for.

[Okayanos]

International Relations: Year 3
Taught by Edwin Holland, AKA Grey
Part 1

Fionn's veneer of paying attention begins to slip as the minutes tick down to Mr. Holland's arrival. Grey was a good teacher. Not too soft on his students, not too rough on them, understanding and well-meaning. There's just one problem- he's stuck teaching one of the more mind-numbingly boring classes in the curriculum.

Though he fights against it, Fionn finds himself slowly beginning to lay his head down on his arms and closing his eyes. Legend says that the first time Mr. Holland taught his class, all 20 or so students simultaneously yawned, and the decrease in pressure caused the room's roof to collapse.

The students in the deathly quiet classroom could undoubtedly hear the clacking of Mr. Holland’s wood-bottom shoes from down the hallway as he entered the room. In one fluid motion he stepped in, dropped his overpacked satchel on the desk, jabbed Fionn lightly in the head with his pen, turned, and began writing on the board.

“Szabo. Please recite to me the 4 Waves of Terrorism, as described by Rapoport.” He said without turning around, writing the topic of the current lecture on the board in his classic chicken scratch: Final Paper Presentations.

“Oof-“ Boredom staved off. Fionn is startled, then quickly dies himself up and acts as though nothing had happened. He folds his hands on his desk and leans forward, taking a moment to read the board while he racks his brain.

“Um... Anarchist, Anti-Colonial, New Left, and Religious.” Fionn lists off.

“And why, Mr. Fowler, is it important - as a hero - to know the origins and motivations behind a terrorist movement?” He asked, now turning around from the chalkboard and leaning on his desk. He surveyed the classroom around him, generally dismayed at the seeming lack of interest that most students displayed for his class. He knew it wasn’t the most exciting, but he was also a seasoned hero. These concepts had proved invaluable to him in his years in the field, and surely would aid those who graduated this Academy in the future.

"In order to understand the motivations of a terrorist, to enact strategies to minimize the potential damage caused by an attack, their motivations must be understood. And in order to understand the why behind modern terrorism, the history of the concept is of paramount importance. Knowledge is power, after all," Nick said, the last sentence with a touch of droll wit.

"It also enables you, as a hero, to know how to mediate without conflict, hm?" Mr. Holland asked, now looking at Fionn. He thought for a moment, and then briefly rifled through his bag. Pulling out a tall stack of papers, he flopped it on his desk.

"Your final papers are graded. Most of you did relatively well, and the class average was a B-. However, as you all know, half of the grade is your presentation and subsequent verbal defense of what you wrote. And since I don't want to waste any time getting to the fun part of class. Mr. Szabo, I would like you to present first."


"Oh boy..." Fionn mutters as he stands up, making the walk of shame up to the front of the class. He plugs the USB with his presentation saved on it into the computer hooked up to the projector, silently wishing that the Institute would just get a Tinkerer to jack up their tech. But, it seems even metahuman schools get shitty Education budgets. Nonetheless, he perseveres through it, opening his lovingly-created powerpoint on a simple topic- how Metahumans broke politics.

"What I'm working with is a pretty simple concept: Metahumans destroyed our modern concept of politics when they first emerged, and the only way that the world can deal with them is to change. The St. Petersburg Accords were only the start, and things will change further in these next few years. People who can control minds begin running for office, people who can obliterate a city with their mind decide to wipe out incoming military invaders, or maybe you just get a shapeshifting metahuman to do some real crazy porn." He pauses for a big, quiet chuckles following his last sentence.

Fionn goes on further to describe how Metas are something akin to nuclear weapons, the kind of thing that won't ever go away now that they're here. Unlike nukes, Metas can't simply be put away. The government's doing its best to keep them under control, but many are beginning to think that a regular old politician can't do anything to control them.

"The current political structure won't hold up in this crazy, changing world we live in. It's too different, too chaotic, and too crazy to ever work. All the attempts at regulating or controlling people like us are just ways of buying time until that change. We're all here now, and we can't just be ignored, or treated like we're normal, because we're far above normal. Metahumans are an irreversible change, and the politics of the world are going to have to change to accomodate."

With his whole piece said, Fionn takes his USB back and returns to his seat.

"So I wonder, Mr. Szabo, what you seem to be lobbying for." Mr. Holland said, nodding as he seemed to process his own thoughts. He worked over the ins and outs of Fionn's paper, and the implications it had for the global political environment.

"If we consider your metaphor that metahumans are like nuclear weapons, then we may also be able to apply the theory of deterrence to metahumans," He said, now facing the class, "And that means that the more metahumans that a country can acquire or nationalize, the more stable its relations with other nations would be. It calls to question your belief in the St. Petersburg Accords. Do you not believe that metahumans should be regulated in the way they are?"

“I believe that metahumans should be regulated by the Accords. But I don’t think that we can be regulated, not completely. There are villains and heroes alike that are still out there who could very easily destroy the entire government if they wanted to, and that’s why I say that the whole kinda concept of government is gonna have to change in order to control metahumans. ARGUS is the start of that, and it’s been gaining more and more influence in the world every year. What happens when ARGUS becomes more powerful than the current government?” He asks- not directly to Mr. Holland, but to the class as well.

“I don’t know what the answer is. All I’m trying to say is that we’re gonna see big changes in how the world is run, and it’ll be because of metahumans.”

"As much as I enjoy the notion, Mr. Szabo, there is a strange dichotomy that heroes and villains often find is a dividing point," Mr. Holland said, now walking very close to Fionn's desk but still looking at the entire class, "'Why?' Why should humans adjust what they have built to cater to a relatively small portion of the gene pool? Why should politics shift? Because we can dictate their lives? Because we are more powerful than them? If you find yourself thinking 'Yes!' to that, I implore you to sit down with yourself and truly think about what your purpose as a hero is."

“A hero’s purpose is to serve the greater good, not any kind of political agenda or whatever. We’re more powerful, so the right thing to do is to use our powers to protect and help people. We can’t do that if people are trying to control or limit us. That’s why ARGUS works outside international law and stuff.”

He shifts in his seat a bit. “But that’s a bit beyond what I wrote about, and someone else should get a chance to speak up.” Honestly, the politics part of hero-ing and learning to hero is the part he’s least adept at, compared to some other classmates of his- classmates that probably have their own opinions that could be expressed in a more well-worded manner.

"And what constitutes the greater good, Fionn? Why should a select few group of people decide what the greater good truly is? Is it the will of the masses - the proletariat? That, if we can recall about a century ago, started one of the more genocidal regimes in history. Is it the perception of the political elite? We might see the 'greater good' be adjusted in a manner that only elevates and secures their power. So who, then? If it is us, if us metahumans are the arbiters of ultimate justice by some genetic mandate, does that not give us our own political agenda? Does that not mean that any individual, policy, or government that does not fit into our definition of the 'greater good' needs to be eliminated? Yes, perhaps if that mission is successful, we may have a better world. But for whom?" Mr. Holland said, approaching a level of mild annoyance. He wanted to press Fionn, to make him realize that heroes are not the ultimate authority of law and justice in the world, "Our job is not to create utopia, because that is simply impossible. Our job is to maintain the status quo. The balance of power if you will. If that means we must defeat a villain, then we will do it. If that means we must fight against a terrorist organization threatening humans, then we will do it. But the day that heroes begin believing that they are the final judge, jury, and executioner is a dangerous day indeed."

"The status quo isn't good enough." Fionn replies, somewhat emboldened in the face of Mr. Holland's continued pressuring. "The environment's still terrible, people are still dying, and the ones with the power to make it all better aren't doing enough. That's what this school is for, to create more heroes so that things can get better." Every word seems to pull more passion from him, more than what would normally be required of a debate with a teacher.

"I could get a flight down to Africa right now and start making clean water for free, and do more good than anyone could by just maintaining a status quo." He's standing now. "Maintaining the status quo doesn't fix anything unless we decide to try and make things better. Because the status quo lets the Pantheon run wild around the world, killing everyone that doesn't agree with their ideals. The status quo lets monsters like the Green Man stay alive for whatever scheme he's plotting, and the status quo did nothing while Yaldabaoth rose out of the sea like fucking Godzilla and nuked my hometown!" Fionn is invested now- he wanted to keep pushing back against Mr. Holland, try and make him realize that nothing could improve without change. "If the people above us want to keep the status quo, maybe we should start being judge, jury, and executioner."

Mr. Holland only smiled in the face of Fionn's emotional outburst.

"The status quo is far from what you think it is, Mr. Szabo. It is not inequality, it isn't oppression. It is the balance between forces. No light can exist without casting a shadow, after all," He said, now pondering his next thought, "You've all seen Star Wars, yes?"

When Mr. Holland received a number of nods from the crowd, he continued.

"And we all know that it was told from the perspective of the Jedi. But no Jedi could exist without the Sith. The force would be unbalanced, despite what many of the Jedi claim about bringing it balance through the elimination of the Sith. Our world works in a surprisingly similar way. We cannot claim to bring balance, to work for the greater good, by destroying the balance of forces. It upsets politics, society, and economics when we overload one side of the good and evil argument. The world is filled with action and reaction, and to eliminate the action of evil only means that we will broaden our definition of evil. There must always be a status quo. We are not fighting for the greater good, because we cannot claim to know what the greater good is. Morals, ethics, code, metahumans are no better at determining what is right from what is wrong than any other human. We simply have the means to build up what is good in the world and strike down the bad. Doing this in excess, or pressing the humans to give us the ultimate authority in justice, could very well be their downfall. And ours."

"Only works that way in the prequels..." Fionn mutters. He falls back down into his seat, defeated and shrinking under the stares he can imagine coming from his classmates. All he feels is the same thing he'd felt the first time he'd seen Yaldabaoth in the city- the feeling of being completely overpowered, and the loneliness of being on his own against it all.

"I don't have anything else to add."

With that, Mr. Holland placed a comforting hand on Fionn's shoulder. He slipped Fionn's paper onto his desk, with the grade facing up at Fionn. 98%, almost perfect marks. From Mr. Holland, this was an incredible compliment. His grading scale made many of the other academic classes at the Academy seem like pre-school.

"A lesson you all should learn is to always question the beliefs of both yourself and those around you. We must never fall into the habit of simply accepting things as the way they are. I have never questioned a student because I dislike them, and to be frank I've never disliked a student, other than Mr. Ypsilantis. The only reason I ask you all questions is because I want to see how your brain works. What makes your gears turn? This class challenges you to think about things in ways that you might find to be contradictory to your beliefs, or to be simply silly and false. That's good. It makes you aware that there are people who disagree with you, and as heroes you must always consider that. Nations and states will have different viewpoints than yours, but you must always make an effort to maintain the fragile political balance when operating. It is a massive responsibility every sanctioned hero must take on."

"..." Fionn stares down at his paper, almost in awe for a moment. Getting a near-perfect score from Mr. Holland is no small feat- though, in retrospect, his ego might just end up being inflated more.

"...Yes, thank you, sir." He thinks he did something right? Certainly seems that way, from the grade on his paper and from Holland's change of tone.

[Parcia]

A gift from the past.

He sat on his bed later that day (right around the time the call out for a mission was given.) His room was rather spartan in nature, owing to his upbringing. A simple room with for walls, a small bathroom branching off to one side and a single window on the outer wall. The bedroom door was thick and heavy, something he liked, and most likely made out of some sort of Cherry or mahogany.

On one wall hung a small, framed picture of him and his unit in the Mountains of Switzerland, training with the Swiss military. HE was happy back then, a younger man back then. Next to that hung a large red, white, and black flag with a large Iron Cross offset to the left. In the corner, hanging on a hanger (it self hung on a nail in the drywall) sat his officer's Uniform, pressed and starched.

On the next wall, next to his door, was his work table. While Mr. Arsenal was the Schools Weapon's smith, Erwin made it a point to maintain and clean his weapons him self, it being a disciple he did not want to let slide, but was also a near religious activity that the family practiced. On said table, sitting on a set of wooden braces, was his rifle, partially disassembled as he had been in the middle of cleaning and oiling the rifle after his last training mission when he received the package.

On the other side of the door and on its own desk, sat his personal Computer. A large, rather pricey piece of gaming technology that he had squired with funds from his Military salary, back when he had one. Next came his mini-fridge, stocked with a fed different types of Sodas, some water, a few bottles of Jägermeister, and some frozen dinners. A small microwave sat on top of it.

Then came his night stand with a small lamp and his Journal, as well as a small Television.

Then there was his bed, a nice double full mattress. Sitting on this bed was Erwin. Sitting in his lap was a wooden box, finely made with a velvet interior. A keepsake box, one he recognized as belonging to his Great Uncle Hugo. Hugo was...the black sheep of the family, the older brother to Erwin's Grandfather and notable for being...eccentric. A staunch Nationalist in the early 1930s, one doesn't have to go for logically as to what Political party he aligned him self with. He did see action in WW2, how ever, and to the best of Erwin's Knowledge he didn't know of any crimes the man may have committed.

Erwin did know, how ever, that Great Uncle Hugo was a meta human much like him self, AE: rather then being a master Blacksmith like much of the family, he had similar abilities to Erwin him self. The Small Difference being that the man could actually summon a Familiar, an act that betrayed every known law of reality that Erwin knew of. Said Familiar was of a Raven, the large black bird having a distinctive Smoky aura around it and had glowing red eyes. Great uncle Hugo had taken the boy on hunting trips as soon as it became clear that Erwin was not a tinker type, and was the one to confirm his Hunter's Sight, as well as the Ethereal Bow.


Bringing him self back to the present, the wooden box sat heavy in his lap and he carefully used his knife to jimmy open the near ancient lock. With a satisfying click the lid opened up and Erwin was greeted with the sight of a small envelope of paper and a strange object wrapped in cloth. He opened the envelope and read it. The paper was old and yellowed and the text written in ink with what was probably an old fashion Ink pen.

My dearest Erwin,
If your reading this...well, i'm dead. Yea, nothing special about it. If everything was as peaceful as I hope, then it was of natural causes. I'm not going to complain, personally...not that I can.
Moving on, if your father fallowed my will, and I half expect him not to, then this little box should contain a few mementos of my life, a few things I want you to have now that your a grown man.

As with tradition, you get something new, something Old, and something you can wear. Have fun kid.

With best wishes, your Dear Great Uncle Hugo.

He set the letter aside and picked up the item in cloth. Before he got to unwrapping it, a spec of red caught his eye. Looking back in to the box, he chuckled and brought out the red cloth arm band. Beneath that, and some what crumpled from the weight of the mysterious item, was a black uniform cap. It was black, peaked, and adorned on the front of it was a polished silver skull and cross bones icon.

"Uncle Hugo you mad lad." Making sure to pack the other two items back in, he unwrapped the silk cloth from the item and sighed when he found the silk cloth was also red with a...distinctive symbol on it. Setting it aside, he found him self looking at a strange wooden item in the vague shape of a...Holster?. Then it hit him.

"Oh no fucking way you old bastard." making sure to properly open the holster, he found what he found to be a beautifully engraved and near mint condition Luger pistol. With a dark blued finish, the pistol had a detailed golden trim along all its lines, its grip had a set of pearl white grips with a Eagle hand etched in to them and lastly, inlayed in to each side of the barrel in intricate Gothic letter text, read the words "Deus Ex Machina and "Got Mitt Uns (Something that did not surprise Erwin, as Great Uncle Hugo was notable for also being the only family member to still practice Christianity)

The pistol had a 8 1/2 Inch barrel and he found that the Holster doubled as a surprisingly study stock. He went about checking the weapon, finding it to be in good condition for such an old weapon. Then a light bulb went off in the lads head.

Packing the weapon in its Holster, he reached for his cane and made a fast limp for the Armory.

He had a the idea to augment his kit with something to compensate his current lack of mid ranged, rapid fire power but would need the cooperation of Herr Arsenal to do so.

[Okayanos]

Headmaster's Office

"And you're sure you have a lead on them?" Cypher leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers, staring at his visitor from behind his mask.

"Positive. Nate and Brianna have been busy tracking them down, and we finally have a fix on their position, but I don't know for how long," The Eagle replied. He wasn't in his costume; instead he was sporting a flannel shirt and jeans with boots, but his extremely muscled frame would not be hidden.
"Is Nate getting better at controlling his visions?" Cypher asked, always interested in how students of his were doing in the 'big leagues'. The Eagle tilted his head to the side and shrugged, "We can trigger him into getting them more frequently, but it's still mostly Bri piggybacking of of it.

Cypher's hand rotated in minor resignation, but he leaned forward in his seat and laced his fingers together with his elbows resting on his desk. "It may be beyond his limit to control, but getting back to the matter at hand, how many students do you want?"

"I'll take as many as you're willing to spare, but the older ones might be a bit more... prepared for big players like Eventide."

"I'm afraid they aren't available on such short notice," Cypher said, shaking his head. "Fourth years shipped out yesterday to Siberia for winter training with the Union."

Aquila Natus sighed through his nose and shifted on his feet. "Most of the Shield is busy too, but like I said: we'll take all the help we can get. Garrett, Kimberly, and Troy are on assignment."

"Alright, I'll put out the announcement and tell them to come talk to you. You can meet them in the dining hall."

The Eagle nodded in wordless thanks and headed for the door as Cypher pressed a button that projected his voice to the entire school. "Attention, students: Those of you interested in field experience especially, listen closely. The Shield of Freedom has a lead on a group suspected of illegal metahuman activity. Aquila Natus is looking for student help in apprehending them. He'll be available in the dining hall if you wish to talk to him before volunteering. This is time-sensitive, so the mission will go active later this afternoon. Alert me if you decide to volunteer so you can properly excused from classes.

Cafeteria

Shawn hadn't did much throughout the daya and felt pretty good. He wasn't sure what he'd spend the rest of the day doing when he heard an announcement. This has peaked his interest but Shawn wasn't sure if he'd be allowed to go on the mission. He was a first year and he didn't have many freedoms and responsibilities at the school. "What do I have to lose ?" he said to himself. he wasn't sure if a first year would be allowed to do much on a field exercise or if he'd even be allowed to go but their was no risk in trying. He made his way down to the dining hall where he didn't find anyone. He looked around until he found Aquila Natus. It hadn't been a while since Shawn had took part in an actually mission but this would be his first as apart of a super hero team. "Is this where we meet for The Shield of Freedom operation?"

"It is!" The Eagle replied with his famous smile, slipping into his public persona. "I'm Spencer, nice to meet you," He said, extending his hand. "Are you interesting in tagging along?"

Queen played on the CD player as Andrew Marks sat under the various heat lamps in his room with his snakes, feeling distraught about severely hurting Erwin. He told Lenny the Cobra about it and the snake told him to tell Erwin that he apologizes. Andrew nodded, but felt that it just wasn't the time for that, or even if it was even worth it. After all, the damage was really bad and Erwin's threats only made it worse.

Andrew sighed and began going through his notes to study for the coming final exam. As his fingers rubbed along the braille bumps, the announcement came on, telling all students of a special mission to go on. The snake boy had doubts about going with his mood crushed by Erwin. However, the encouragement from his snake whispered into his head, wagering him to not let the earlier incident bother him.

Snake Eyes took a moment of thought as he stroke the chin of Susan, the black mamba, who was the most encouraging after Rango. (Though she is also often kept out of exercises due to how exceptionally venomous she is.) After thinking it over, Andrew ultimately came to agree with his snakes and got up to leave his room with Rango on his shoulders and almost all the other snakes in tow.

Andrew walked into the dining hall and through Rango's eyes, immediately recognized The Eagle from the images in comic books on the Shield of Freedom he looked at after gaining "snake sight". He wondered what the super hero would think of some one like him. The idea of gaining the approval of real life super heros actually began to peak his interest even further.

"I'm interested in tagging along." Snake Eyes spoke out, "We're going after a group of Supervillains right? Could be useful to have venom on your side, right? Or even just some snakes to act as eyes and ears to spy on them..."

"Extra eyes can be useful," The Eagle said with a smile, extending his hand. "I'm Spencer, and if I had to guess by your companion, you're Snake Eyes? I managed to see part of the exercise this morning on my way in. I've heard you can be quite versatile when you put your brain to work."

Johan walked defeated towards his dormitory after what Visionary told him. 'The ability to decide what’s most important will save your life in the field one day, Johan. Try and hone that ability.' The professor was right. He lacked proper experience and decision-making, assets other students already had. Some had battled criminals or had at least used their powers extensively, while he didn't. For the time being Johan was at a disadvantage, something he now aimed to solve.

And right then, he heard the announcement over the speakers. Immediately, as if pushed by sheer instict, he rushed towards the Dining Hall. He evaded other students and toppled a trash can as his smile grew once again. This is what he needed. Even if it was doing something minor, he wanted in. Even if he wasn't that big of a fan, there was no bloody way he would miss the chance to go on a mission with Aquila Natus and Shield of Freedom. Hell, it was a chance to make amends for everything that transpired that day.

He bursted through the doors into the cafeteria. "Is this where we sign up for the mission?" He said in between breaths, smile still plastered on his face.

Andrew would turn pink as he shook Eagle's hand if he was warmed blooded. Super heroes were idols to the young man and inspired him to want to put his powers to good use. "It's Andrew Marks... and I mostly just did as I was told during the exercise which was to take out snipers." Andrew admitted, believing in honesty, "The rest was based off what Rango told me...."

Andrew paused for a moment. "I do wish I put more thought into bringing down The Huntsman." He added, "My King Cobra, Lenny must have overdone it with his bite to cause lasting nerve damage even if he didn't mean to. Villains are one thing, classmates, friends and allies are another though..."

"I wouldn't worry about that too much. Dr. Gross is one of the best in the world. It was training, and the staff wouldn't let anything go too far."

Aquila Natus snapped to Johan and raised his eyebrows. "I think so," He said with a chuckle. "Is that what you're looking for?"

"Bloody-fucking-yes I am boss." He answered without missing a beat, before realizing what he had done. "Oh, sorry. Excuse my language." He looked slightly downwards and cleared his throat. "Yes. Yes I am. Unless this isn't the right place, because if that's the case then I was just looking for some chow." He smiled once again and walked closer to where The Eagle was seated.
"Anyway, Im here to volunteer if it wasn't obvious enough. I don't know what you're looking for, but I'm a kineticist."

Shawn was glad to meet Spencer and shook his hand firmly "Yea... I'm still a first year but I want to help in anyway I can." He didn't quite know what to expect but he wanted to do his best. He had helped take down metas before but never as a part of a team. He hoped that this would give him a chance to work on his teamwork more and find his place as a member of a functioning team. "Besides training I've never really worked with a super hero team before."

"Right now we're just looking for able bodies. And I appreciate your enthusiasm, just make sure your feet don't run faster than your head. I'm Spencer, but I don't believe I caught your name?"

"Then this will hopefully be a useful experience for you, Mr...?" The Eagle trailed off, waiting for the young man's name.

"Then good thing I have a body and that it's able. Name's Johan boss, Johan Vermaak, I also go by Vektor." He extended his hand for a shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And you won't have to worry about me, I'll keep a level head, I assure you. So, what is this whole mission thing about?"

"Sorry... I'm Shawn or Amethyst which ever you prefer. " Shawn nodded ready to see what was in store for him. "When will we get details about the mission , or is everyhting top secret?"

"Well, I see that we're having some similar questions, so let me answer everyone at once. My team has managed to get a lead on the location of a group operating outside of the law known as project Eventide. They keep a low profile, so we need to capitalize on this opportunity. Unfortunately, several members of my team are on another mission, so I wanted to pick up some extra muscle and hopefully bring them into the long arm of the law."

Andrew, now very excited, grinned a little, baring his fangs slightly. "Then perhaps you could use someone like me." he said with a little cunning, "I could get a snake inside wherever their base is and find out what they are up to, right? They won't even know what gets them.

"Probably not that simple. Eventide has a pretty phenomenal record of slipping through heroes' fingers," Arno piped up from the back of the room, "They're not some big-bodied villain terrorist team. They're the equivalent of giving Tier One pipe hitters powers."

Arno stood and approached the rest of the group, looking around. He had his own special history with Eventide. The initiative that created him was eventually going to bring him into the fold of Eventide, and if he hadn't escaped he may very well have been put on an Eventide team and sent out into the world. He had seen them in action several times, and each time left him more and more impressed with the way the group operates.

"Let's not forget they bloodied up ASET." He said, looking at The Eagle. Arno was lucky enough to be operating with Delta Force when Eventide and ASET had crossed paths for the first time, so he was one of the first people to ever hear about. Most still aren't privy to the information.

"Engine generation restored, output nominal." Marilyn muttered to no one but herself, walking down the halls as she felt her slow spinning generator. As the announcement came over, she walked over to the designated reporting room. Knocking, she poked her head in for a moment.

" I was told that this was where the reporting room for the new operation was?"

The Eagle nodded. "That could come in handy," he said before turning to look at Arno with a raised eyebrow. "That's true, but ASET isn't a heavy hitting team on their own. They're more adept at dealing with individuals, not a team like Eventide. And we have the jump on them this time. Have you heard of my teammate Prophet?"

"Make room, kids. Adults are joining in." Fionn says, striding through the dining hall's door with all the confidence one would expect of someone who damn near aced his International Relations final presentation. You can bet your ass he wants in on this Shield of Freedom op, and he figures it's almost guaranteed that he'd be accepted, along with the other three of the Top Four, if they decided to show up.

He'd pushed his way past Marilyn on the way in, and scopes out a few other familiar faces amongst the gathered. Some that'd been on his team during the training mission. But, despite that, it's Arno (aka Slangbyt, which is a cool fuckin' alias) that he chooses to sit himself down beside. He figures they've got at least one thing in common, that being past experience with some legit supervillain types.

"He's one of the better precogs out there, isn't he?"

ilently as she was pushed, the generator started spinning around for a moment. Before eventually returning to passive generation mode. As she sighed, she pulled the tablet out and looked through it for a moment before moving out from the doorway. "I'd like to join the mission. Support or forward, anything is fine."

The Eagle shrugged. "I'm sure he'd love to hear you say that, but yes, and with the aid of another our team he's been able to catch them with their pants down. We have a lock on their location, but we don't know how long it will be before they move."

Turning to Marilyn, he said, "Glad to hear it. We won't have definite roles until we can get the entire mission roster and put a plan together. For now, write your names and aliases here-" He produced a sheet of paper, a roster with empty lines for the students to fill in. "-and the Shield will get back to you. We're picking students on a first-come, first-serve basis, so be sure to tell any friends that are interested. The roster will be in the front office."

[Okayanos]

Fionn Szabo
Kaiju
Cafeteria

Fionn watches the Eagle leave the room. He's confident that he'd be accepted for the mission, even if some of his fellow students might be turned down. He leans forward in his chair, using his hand to prop his head up. He takes his time looking around at the various gathered faces of the other students. Andrew, scaly and clear-eyed. Marilyn, with her purple hair like some kind of Chinese anime character. Arno, lurking on his own like a solitary predator. Countless others, but very few of them seem to have any kind of real experience. First-hand knowledge of the sort of monsters that are out there. The white-haired boy's eyes narrow, and a hint of a smirk works its way onto his face. Time to have some fun.

"So." He speaks up, cutting into the silence. "Any of you heard of Yaldabaoth?"

[Parcia]

Arsenals Lair...
Also known as the Armory.


Eriwn turned the corner and pushed open the door with his cane. "Herr Arsenal! I have a request to make of you my good man, one you might like!" He quickly made his way over the man as he sat hunched over a machine Erwin did not Recognize.

"I received a gift from home, a Keepsake of my great Uncle Hugo from his exploits in the 1940s, one I think a man of your talents would like." He was a bit giddy as he un holstered the pistol gingerly. Its engravings and pearl grips shown in the light of the armory.

"From what I can tell it is a vintage, all matching parts lugar Carbine! Now, Understanding that the toggle lock action is rather fragile, and I am need of a weapon to augment my current load out, and seeing an opportunity that has present it self I would like to commission you to make a few modifications to this weapon." Feeling his leg starting to ache, he pulled up a chair and sat down.

First, and arguably the largest, would be the modification for the pistol to fire in the automatic function, while keeping the toggle lock action in working order. Now, this would require re-working or out right reforging the weapon's internals a good bit but given your rather famous skill with weapon's crafting, it should be a simple thing. Secondly obviously would be to strengthen the weapon to withstand the stresses of automatic fire. Lastly would be to add a few simple things. A Lengthened Barrel, perhaps around 9-11 inches in length. A set of Extended magazines on top of the standard 8 round ones I already have, a wooden hand guard for the barrel and to better handle the weapon, small things."

Eriwn would take a breath, and blink. "And I now realize that I may have run up on you out of no were, and I apologize for that, I get exited some times. I uh...understand if you have better things to attend to." It was not often that Eriwn felt like this, the normally stoic young man did not get flustered for such things. While he lacked the Tinkering Abilities that Herr Arsenal, or his Family in the Tex Mechnica forges, he did hold a true appreciation for weapons and weapon smithing.

He let his gaze drop to the weapon and began to fidget in his chair.

[The Cyberiad Council]

Joseph Decker, aka Arsenal

When Erwin bounded into the expansive workshop area built off the main armory, Joseph looked up from the defense cannon redesign he was working on and the levitating components gently settled themselves to the ground. He was about to welcome the student to his work-space, but the eagerness flowing off the lad wouldn't be held off by formalities. Joseph picked up the gun and gave it a once over.

"You know normally, when you're modifying a Luger, you run the risk of making it less reliable, right? Several parts need to be hand-adjusted to make it operate in optimum order. Fortunately, for you my powers can make those adjustments better than any manual gunsmith.

"What you're wanting shouldn't take too long, but I might have to work a bit on the barrel. My powers aren't the most suited for things like that. They could pull it off, but the caliber and rifling could be a bit off. I can do that part more manually and probably have the entire thing finished by tomorrow evening."

Arsenal held the weapon about an arms-length away from himself and let his powers take over, allowing the gun to levitate in the air. With a downward swipe of his finger, the stock and grips came free. Arsenal caught them and handed them back to Erwin while he let his powers work on the mechanical portion. The soft green glow of the powers began highlighting individual components of the Luger, and in a matter of seconds the entire weapon was disassembled into a cloud of floating parts arranged like a three-dimensional layout of the gun. Arsenal began picking out the parts and components that Erwin called into question and pulling them from the cloud to inspect them before grabbing various sheets and scraps of metal from the storage space not far away. His powers let him fold and cut the metal to specification.

"I can defiantly get this where you want. I'll get everything but the barrel extension done today. You can stick around and watch if you feel like it, but I tend not to talk to much when I get in the groove..."

---

---

Allen Crane, aka Overgrowth

"That big guy that showed up in Portland a few years ago, right?" Allen asked as he walked into the Cafeteria. Unlike most of the other students milling around talking to Mr. Patriot Bird, Allen had actually gone to Cypher's office to put his name down as volunteering. Whether or not he would be green-lighted to go was a different story. He kind of felt bad he missed the hero, but he was honestly a bit of glory hog in Allen's personal opinion.