[Event] Epilogue

[Sir Les Paul]

Part One: The End of the Beginning

The era of heroes had been long dead. Whether they were symbols of peace and justice of vigilantes blurring the lines between vengeance and necessity, their time had came to an end. Not an abrupt one, either. Their flame died out slowly before the wick was left amere blackened crisp. Yet, from the ashes, a new generation of heroes came to be; and, a man in a black mask stood before them. A Batman.

This was a revival.

Beside him stood the legendary Tim Drake, albeit in his Titan Commander uniform. The suit may not have been the same as it did when the original Wayne wore it, but the cape and cowl were just as terrifying and inspiring.

"Titans, I can now officially call you the first graduates of the Titan Initiative. You are not only the first to be accepted by the new League, but you will be the first leaders when the next generation comes," Batman told them. Prior to this, there were introductions, but this was a ceremony. One broadcast within the Memorial Hall of the Titans Tower and sent to the whole world live and translated into 28 languages across the globe. This was a day of celebration. This was the day the world acknowledged heroes once more.

"Let me assure you, however, that it will not become easier from here. With greater responsibility will come greater trials, and as iron sharpens iron, the adversaries and foes you shall face will become sharper and more dangerous," he continued. There was great weight with his words. The same weight they had in Gotham when he first arrived at the scene to rescue Black Beetle. When he spoke, you listened. A brief silence occurred after.

"Titans, I am proud of you. I recall sifting through hundreds of candidates for this program and even then, we estimated less than half of you would make it to the next stage--let alone this far. Yet in front of me stand five fledgling heroes that have already saved countless lives and helped to defeat two criminals. Many remember the nightmare of Alcatraz and you five have put one of the men behind that horrendous night into prison. You have already made a mark on history," he told them. Unlike Batman, their former teacher was quick to praise them and remind them of their accomplishments.

"Nightowl, please come forward," Batman instructed. As he did, Alphus stepped from the platform he was on to the higher one in front of him, now in the light and in front of the cameras.

"Warcry, please come forward," he instructed again, Marie this time stepping forward.

"Inkubus, please come forward," he continued, Alexander taking his place beside Alphus and Marie.

"Huge, please come forward," he said, nodding over to Huge. A moment of hesitation, but the man did so in silence.

"Cyborg, please come forward," he said. A matte silver frame stepped forward, the fleshless body standing where Shane Tift should have.

"We officially announce a sixth Titan that was both present in Gotham and now bears a new mantle. No-Body, please come forward," Tim added, acknowledging Rebecca in her new role. Unlike the others, she stepped out of invisibility and onto the platform. A display of her new suit.

"Now six, this group of heroes in front of you have earned the title of Titan. To those of you watching, let me remind you of what they accomplished this October: Black Beetle spent nearly a year investigating the return of historic villains to the streets of Gotham. In that time, a new and unknown villain stepped out of the shadows and stole the Beetle. In doing so, that villain managed to permanently disable Black Beetle from the waist down and with the Beetle started a rampage in Gotham with the ultimate goal of making the upper levels of Gotham come crashing down onto the lower ones. It was the Titans alongside Batman and NoOne that defeated this villain, saved Gotham from impeding doom. These Titans together were able to defeat an unknown enemy that even a member of the League could not and inspire the people of Gotham to fight back against the crime in their city. For that, we reward them," Tim explained, this time speaking directly into the camera. This speech was dedicated obviously to those watching. This speech was a shout to the world that heroes had returned.

Then the lights flicker for just a moment. A moment before six new statues in the Memorial Hall were illuminated, each displaying the original Titan: Alexander Alfaise, Shane Tift, Alphus Durn, Leonard Grimth, Rebecca Drake, and Marie Jensen--all alongside a silhouette of their current hero costumes. This was a surprise, but it was there. Full sized statues just for their them in the legendary Hall.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Part Two: Free From The Cage

Since the dawn of time, humanity has always existed as a fickle thing. Man must outwit beasts else be prey. Man must show mercy else risk becoming a monster. And, really, what greater monster is there than man? The Natale Archipelago, specifically the Badlands, posed a whole new challenge: what must man do to prove his humanity against machine?

The Badlands debuted most of the beauty and monstrosity of mankind. A three month journey showed the island was not just a base of operations for Pirates, but also a safe haven for countless rejects of society. Not just Virimater, but from all of the other islands. It was there in the caverns of the island where these outcasts hid that Rebecca and Alex bore witness to people from the different islands coming together to support themselves, to defend each other, to create the unique and powerful bond that can only be achieved through adversity. There was much more to the island than oligarchy of Virimater had explained and while there was in fact lethal radiation, it wasn't for far further up the coastline. De Terra teemed with life.

De Terra was also full of some of the most vile acts man could commit. Human trafficking, dismemberment, a constant war zone between different pirates, naval raids, and raw brutality between some of the pirates blurred the line between man, beast, and monster all at once. The Bluefin Pirates were far worse than most men on the streets of Bludhaven or alleys of Gotham. Mercy was as foreign to them as the Titans. It wasn't until near the end of their journey, however, that the truth behind all of the Natale Archipelago was revealed: the only real difference between the pirates and Virimater were was the violence.

This revelation took time. For their first month on the island, Rebecca and Alex as Jayce were effectively on the run. The faster they fled, the more intense the pursuit became. The two were pushed harder than ever expected for the first mission of Titans. The whole world even stopped for a moment as each of them reflected on the fact they had to take the lives of others during this mission to spare their own. It was a dark day in a dry town they using to try and escape out of Bluefin territory, and an even bloodier ambush. This was a fight for survival at many times. Rebecca cursed Tim for even allowing it and Alex prayed to return to the streets he once called home.

The two did make it. They survived. In the outskirts of the Eastern shoreline, they found an intricate cave system before the radiated Deadline to the North. There they found hundreds of armed refugees that fought off the pirates, and it was there they learned the honest truth of every living inhabitant of the archipelago. These people weren't human. These people were the remnants of an outdated AI system that replicated human intelligence. There bodies were mass produced from recyclable plastics, depending on which island they came from. They lacked resources to make long-lasting bodies, so most were replaced as they went. Aging was just more and more progressively failing parts. Many of the gloves were covering torn flesh, most bodies were stitched together. Later, some pirates even went as far as removing all but their necessary parts and embraced being cyborganic.

The secrets of each island slowly unraveled, but Virimater was the island they had the most experience with and after meeting Chordanha, her attitude became that much more infuriating. Virimater harvested a breed of algae grown outside the island and transplanted underground whose waste created the plastic-like polymer for their bodies. The all-female island nation was the most proud and fiercely independent of all of the Natale Archipelago, but it came at a cost. Their bodies deteriorated faster. The sisters of the island broke down time after time and were reprogrammed into new bodies in an attempt to avoid the problems of other islands, which were people fleeing to De Terra after simply being re-uploaded. Their version of Hell on Earth involved a little brainwashing. The elites of the island were those made with superior materials and even in the event one broke down, bodies that were made could be harvested for parts nigh-infinitely until more were made. These were the Prime.

That was Chordanha. The vile, arrogant woman that instigated this entire mission. In the end, her reason for wanting their help was the same--that much was true. Their technology was stolen. But, why was that? Because they were forced to capture slaves to harvest their bodies else watch their own break down. They needed renewable resources, too, because escape from Virimater or any island simply meant eventual bodily failure. These AI's feared death as much as any human.

Rebecca and Alex spend a good two weeks learning the ways of the cave-dwelling refugees and how they used intricate traps, hunting techniques, and guerrilla war tactics to stave off pirate raiders--and for good reason. The refugees had amassed a fairly large hoard of spare parts and some of the best technicians there were rebuilding, recycling, and repairing them. Those that fled successfully were often skilled and intelligent. Survival of the fittest, after all. It was in this time that the two made a resolution to destroy whatever they could from the pirates, then leave the island. They had no intention on returning anything to Chordanha.

The two Titans were trained by the refugees for just a little while longer and loaded up on munitions and resources. Alex realized well into his time on the island that his runes didn't work on these people and he understood why now, but these refugees were not without creativity. His magic required true, living flesh, not the organic substitutes used by the islands. Using native boars, the refugees created patches of skin for a small band of warriors to use that would last long enough to hold a rune before it deteriorated. Rebecca, meanwhile, trained Alex in the one field she excelled at further than him by far: hand to hand combat. While the two previously had reservations about killing, their current resolution and the revelation that these weren't real 'people' brought that to an end.

With the advantage of supplies, magic, and surprise, Rebecca and Alex lead a successful assault on the Bluefin base of operations, personally brought about the destruction of a half-dozen other contraptions in addition to the ones Chordanha had sent them after, and ultimately burned the entire fort-camp to the ground. While some of their warrior band had died, they had also brought back the entirety of the slaves and bodies the Bluefins had captive, and in doing so returned the favor the hidden refugees had done for them. It was a dark victory, but the two shared it. The two shared plenty as they grew close on the island, but it remained between them just how close.

After the two had caused their chaos on the island, their intention was to steal a boat from the shore and make their way back to Virimater. This proved unnecessary as the two were soon evacuated via the use of stealth drop ships, proving they could have been saved or taken off the island at any time. The two were met by a hologram of Tim, but Tim was met by the rage of Rebecca. Whether it had all proven too much or perhaps more than she could handle as a person, her unbridled rage was met by the calm, cool explanation from Tim. The entire mission was designed to be extremely dangerous and involve decisions that none of them should have to make for a single, simple reason: the three that were originally sent to the island were those three with the greatest potential for leadership.

Alex had a calm, cool head and created a strong middle ground during their first meeting. Rebecca had a strong, passionate side to her that drew others to her. Scyleia was naturally charismatic, experienced, and wise. This mission was a test of their ability to lead a group, and on some level, it was a success. Not only did they achieve a goal, but they made the mission their own. At the same time, it was a drastic failure in that they ultimately disobeyed orders over time and didn't return the resources to Virimater. While the island nation wasn't content with this outcome, it was still preferable to the pirates having it alone.

Then came the next dose of harsh reality. In their absence, the other members of the team had undergone some harsh lessons of their own, and in that time, Alphus proved himself capable of bringing together Huge and Warcry as a team--and followed orders in doing so. He had been acting team leader of Team Redbird, but with the other team still stuck in a VIRI simulation, the next course of action was to merge the teams. The decision was made that Alphus would lead this new team. Rebecca refused this notion. Once they returned to the States, she left for Bludhaven. Even asked Alex to go home and forget the Titans--in fact, she even asked him to come with her to Bludhaven instead. Alex declined her offer and instead asked for a period of respite.

Rebecca was no longer a Titan. She returned, now far more dangerous, to the streets of Bludhaven. Jessica was nowhere to be found and the chaos in the streets was worse than when she had left, but with the new tactics she learned in De Terra alongside her more aggressive resolve, she brought a new level of terror to the criminals of her home town. Jail cells, prisons, and hospital beds were filled nightly due to her. Alex, meanwhile, returned to his home, spent a month with his family, even visited Rebecca once. In the end, he decided to return to the Titans. While Rebecca was filled with rage and in her freedom returned to her natural habitat, Alex felt the power of his new resolution. On De Terra, he made a difference for those refugees. Human or not. He made a difference. It didn't matter if it was all a giant, sloppy shade of grey, he felt that he had done good. It took time, but after Alex had a taste of what it meant to make a difference to so many people, he couldn't return to the streets like Rebecca.

In the freedom that came after their three month sentence to the Badlands, Rebecca embraced her role as a violent vigilante and Alex embraced his resolve to become a hero for the people.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Part Three: Shadows in the Sun

To state the Assault on Amadeus was a success would be an understatement. The Shadows of Gotham managed to break into the Amadeus Complex not only one, but eight times. Their secret came from their diverse set of skills and abilities. With guidance, NeoShade was able to sneak throughout the facility unnoticed by traveling exclusively in the darkness. NoOne was the guiding hand; hacking into remote parts of security to turn off lights, redirect vision, create loops, and mostly make the most efficient path for Drake. Freddy was the receiver; when NoOne guided Drake blindly out of the building with whatever he had stolen, Freddy smuggled it to nearby holding units, avoiding anything being on the streets or in plain for any second longer than it needed to be.

Unfortunately, the Amadeus Complex proved to be more competent than expected. While it did possess the tools, weapons, and equipment of historic criminals, one could say there was 'some assembly required'; and what was taken apart was often spread across several floors. Most of the time, this was simply because there was only one piece of technology worth studying, but it became a fairly effective safety measure. The first run of the complex proved this, but it also proved that they could get in and out unnoticed. Suddenly the 'assault' wasn't as climatic as expected.

The next six runs were adjustments to the plans, each time getting progressively more effective. NoOne had Drake stealing only the rarest parts, core pieces of technology, and if possible, replicas thereof so that the original wasn't out of inventory. Their plans became a timeline; NoOne would prove Drake terminal interface sticks that would assess system security one day and the next be used to crack it to steal valuable data. All the while, Freddy became more efficient at storing what was stolen. The eventual failure of their plans didn't come from improper execution, but from the building being under lock down for the eighth attempt.

A true 'assault' on the complex never occurred; it didn't need to. The thievery the three had conducted was enough to start the second phase of their plan. Their next goal was add to their roster of suits and abilities by completing what was separated in the Amadeus Complex. The notable exception to this was Freddy. Freddy took to the streets a new Scarecrow, using a vast array of different toxins--most non-lethal. Freddy began using large-scale scare tactics to rise up as a criminal overlord, and in doing so, began taking control of the streets with ruthless disregard for other criminals but most often safer methods of civilians. This provided a massive distraction for Drake and NoOne. Drake first became Phosphorus Rex using a suit that mimicked his meta-human abilities while NoOne became Firefly. As a duo, the two used arson and large scale destruction to create distractions while Drake used his shadow walking to steal whatever was needed to reincarnate their next villain.

Their wardrobe of villains expanded quickly and so did the influence of the Fear Nation created by Freddy. Soon, the three could become villains such as Doctor Freeze, Ray Man, White Knight, the Riddler, Firebug, Volt, Kite Man, Killer Moth, and Mad Hatter. The months to come became known as the Gotham Renaissance. In that time, the Fear Nation became one of the largest, most powerful gangs in Gotham; not only did it thrive under the thumb of Freddy, but it was indirectly supported by the ongoing efforts of Drake and NoOne. The chaos of Gotham became more controlled, primarily because most of the chaos was caused by the Jokerz and now the Fear Nation now targeted them like a rival gang whereas most others were terrified. While this systemic targeting started a small war, Black Beetle had another faction to deal with.

This dark renaissance lasted a solid six months before its first climax. The three great contenders for Gotham were the Fear Nation, Jokerz, and the Circus of Freaks lead by Barnum. Barnum was consistent in his goal to recruit more meta-humans to increase his power, but chaos was a ladder and his ladder became shorter and shorter as the chaos became more controlled. He also manipulated the media, often making the actions of his people appear to be vigilantism more than criminal. It was almost in desperation that Barnum slipped. NoOne had slowly been deducing his powers, and through various interactions, determined that Barnum could sense, null, and absorb the powers of most meta-humans, then use them if they were in a range. What he found through various tests was that Barnum could not tell what a person could do before their ability was used, merely sense they had one.

This was the key to his downfall. NeoShade took on a new mantle using the mind-control technology of Mad Hatter to pose as a different villain, Hypnotic. Claiming to be a meta-human that could control minds, he became a target to Barnum. A trap was laid out, Drake was the bait, and the Fear Nation, Freddy, and NoOne waited for Barnum to make his move. Drake had only show himself twice before Barnum hunted him down, and what ensued was a massive battle between the Circus of Freaks and the Fear Nation. The difference here was knowledge. Freddy, acting as Scarecrow, became adept with planting gases and traps. The entire fight ended swiftly with most of the Circus members knocked unconscious and none of the Fear Nation present requiring meta-human abilities. Slowly but surely, all the power Barnum had faded.

He did get Drake, though. He knew Drale was a meta-human, but what he didn't know was that his powers were. Without that, he couldn't even manipulate shadows. Where mind control could have saved him, it didn't. Barnum was caught and Freddy was out for sweet revenge. The problem is that in Gotham, nothing ever goes according to plan. None other than the Joker himself arrived, bombing the entire home Drake was using as a refuge when he was Hypnotic. In a swift steal, the Joker arrived simply to... kill Barnum. The Joker stole the vengeance Freddy sought after for so long, his gas killed two hundred or so people including nearby civilians. While this was hardly a drop in the bucket for the Fear Nation, the entirety of the Circus of Freaks was wiped out and the Joker made his appearance the punchline.

In his whole life, Freddy had never felt such rage. The ensuing month to come could only be described as a war between the Jokerz and the Fear Nation. Freddy began using more aggressive tactics whereas before he considered bystanders and collateral damage. Freddy had no qualms killing criminals or even Jokerz with more volatile tactics. Drake had taken a break from the Shadows in this time. The master of shadows was nearly killed by the Jokerz with the Joker gas, only saved by NoOne as Marcel had memorized a counter-serum from data stored in the Amadeus Complex. If anyone was honest, Drake spent the next month spending the ludicrous amounts of money he had amassed. As for NoOne, he was now even more cautious as Black Beetle whom had been watching from the sidelines took a more active role in hunting down Scarecrow and the Joker.

With two of the three impersonators retreating, the Gotham Renaissance came to an end and in its place was a war of fear between two of the most notorious villains Gotham had ever known.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Part Four: The Untouchable Force and Immovable Man

"What makes a man a leader?" Tim asked. His voice and tone carried and immense gravitas. His question somehow weighed even heavier.​

A moment of silence passed before Alphus attempted to speak up: "Master Tim, you've taugh--"

"--Do not recite my words back to me. Tell me what a leader is to you; not what I've told you one should be," Tim snapped, cutting off Alphus mid-sentence.

Another moment of silence passed. Alphus was the protege of Tim; he had been given speech after speech and lesson after lesson about this exact type of question, but at present, he could only think of the exact words Tim had recited to him. What was a hero? What did a leader need to do? What was priority over life, limb, and crime? While his mind whirred over what these ideas meant, Huge had already came up with an answer:

"Commander, a leader is just a man with an idea and the ability to have others help make it happen," he said in a strong, monotonous voice. Tim did not interrupt.

"Just a man, you say?" Tim replied, inquisitive to the specific word choice Huge used.

"Yes, Commander. Just a man with a particular skill," Huge explained, albeit in his own simple terms.

Tim cocked his head back, mulling over the viewpoint Huge had expressed. Unless asked questions like these, Huge rarely spoke about anything like this unless out of frustration. Himself and Alphus, Tim had been convincing Huge to open up slightly more and these types of thought-out responses were the result. "Alright, Huge, then what is a good leader? he asked, focusing narrowly onto Huge.

"Either a good man with that skill or a man that uses that skill well, I suppose, Commander," Huge answered without missing a beat. A single beat.

Tim let off a sly smile. A thousand thoughts were still stirring around in the mind of Alphus about what a leader was, but in just a few words, the statuesque figure of Huge had boiled it down to its simplest point. It was almost a beautiful thing if not for how infuriating it was. It only added to the frustration of the last month at the precinct. Time after time, Huge had inadvertently one-upped the others. Whether it was standing out of the way during an investigation or simply knowing police protocol due to the lieutenant, Huge had a slight advantage in the immediate field. The problem is that the immediate field the three were in was somewhat a volatile one.

Not all of the precinct was content on seeing would-be heroes joining in. Marie and her petulance had already had the three yelled at repeatedly, but Alphus had already taken a few missteps simply by trying too hard. The only one of them that even remotely fit in was Huge, whose primary complaint was the amount of paperwork Detective Kirkpatrick--their in-house handler--provided for them. Regardless, most of the officers that did interact with them chose to interact with Huge for no other reason than he accepted orders and complained the least. In the few times they were taken on patrol, he was the one doing most of the interactions with the officers.

"What about a bad man with that skill, Huge? Tim asked, breaking away from the train of thought.

A moment passed as Huge contemplated it. At this point, even Alphus was curious. "It would depend on his idea, the people that he had listen to him, and just how bad he was, sir," Huge answered. Again, a short, simple, even clean answer. Cut straight to the point like a scalpel.

"Huge, I don't disagree with your logic, but leaders are powerful. A talented leader is far more than just a man," Tim said, redirecting the series of questions he had asked.

Huge lifted his head slightly with slightly narrowed eyes. This was the gesture he had subconsciously adopted when he was about to ask a question or make a comment. It was obvious enough that Alphus could notice it, let alone Tim. "What difference is there between a leader and a man when no one is listening?" Huge asked. It was again a simple, but powerful question. One worth asking. One worth answering.

For just a second, Tim had to think. Unlike Alphus, he could pull an idea from the thousand thoughts and pieces of information he had in his mind. "Even if no one listens to a leader, gentlemen, he is a man most often with a powerful idea. Sometimes he is a symbol. Sometimes, a symbol is all you need," Tim answered. It was true that a leader was likely often thought about as a man delegating tasks, but Master Wayne had taught Tim many things. One of them was that you can lead from the shadows without saying a word. Leaders came in all forms.

"That is enough. Kirkpatrick has requested I choose one of you to represent Team Redbird. Obviously, Marie is not a candidate. Alphus, you were my first choice," Tim said, looking at Alphus with a piercing gaze. "But, in light of recent reports, I'm opting to provide Huge with the opportunity to lead. This was at the request of the Lieutenant for the Unit you've been working in as well as Kirkpatrick. That said, Kirkpatrick has also requested you take additional classes to help out... as well as have your inhibitors deactivated during patrol. We won't give you guns--yet--but he believes allowing you to use your powers while supervised will help you. I see no reason not to. After a week of Huge acting as the leader of Team Redbird, you'll be the first super-cadets of the Precinct." Tim told them. It was a surprise to say the least, including his attempt at bone-dry humor.

Another month passed. Marie quickly got over not even being a candidate for leader. She couldn't stay mad at Huge anyway. Besides, she grew an odd type of bond with Alphus in their slight salt over being under someone that had no actual desire to lead. Somehow the group stayed close. It was more than that, though. Team Redbird also saw more and more use. Each member went through Basic Life Support education, mass casualty responses, triage, traffic protocol, internal chain of command for rescue services, as well as a few other standard protocol most advancing officers picked up. The three bonded not only in those classes, but in the use of those new skills. Perhaps even more than their natural abilities. Halfway through the month, they had managed to save eleven lives already. It was a good feeling.

Huge remained a silent leader for the most part. It was hard to honestly call him a leader. His real responsibility was being briefed by Kirkpatrick and relaying news. It was a one-way system of communication. It streamlined instructions, but that was the most it accomplished. It made the entire act of picking a leader seem somewhat diluted, but it did dull the edge that cut into Alphus and Marie when Huge was selected. For the moment, Team Leader just meant designated reporter. Which worked because Kirkpatrick entrusted the Team to more and more tasks and designated them to less paperwork throughout the final weeks of their second month. More time on patrol, more use of their skills, and even a transition from saving lives to actually stopping a crime or catching someone. Their basic system was for Huge to block a path, Marie to use her sonic screech to prevent the use of another, and Alphus to step in as a surprise to apprehend someone. Only real complaints? Noise. Marie was loud.

The third month is when things changed. A crew of all-female criminals sprung up around the city, some noted meta-human threats. Nothing serious, no lives lost, but a lot of property damage and theft. Specifically of food and clothes, go figure. Each time the police had neared them, they had all escaped. It was the decision of Lieutenant Daniels, the aforementioned head of the unit Team Redbird assisted, to utilize their own super-cadets. The plan was to respond to a sighting of the group, isolate one member of it, then apprehend them. The first sighting was in a mall--not uncommon. Security and police chased them out to the parking lot. The problem came in that... Team Redbird was successful. Huge followed the plans Lieutenant Daniels set to a tee and one little blonde ditz with a similar phasing ability to Alphus. Turns out, touching her with his ability caused them both immense pain. Also, turns out Alphus had a far stronger will than her; she passed out, he simply stumbled in a cold sweat.

Their success meant a complete change in plans for other girls. They went from fleeing to an all-out assault in an attempt to get the ditz. A fight broke out between the police, Team Redbird, and four apparently meta-human girls. One of them had demonstrated the ability to turn stone, including pavement, into lava then manipulate it. The turning point was when she captured multiple officers with this ability and had full intentions on burning them alive if Alphus didn't release their comrade. The situation grew tense. There were no instructions from Kirkpatrick. No instructions from Huge. Huge was still quite reserved at hurting these girls and even without that reserve, he had no instructions or idea of what to do immediately. They were outnumbered with a more diverse array of abilities. At no other time in his life was Alphus more frustrated that he had to follow orders from Huge...

...until he realized he didn't.

Alphus phased through the lava, dragging the ditz with him, but left himself and her floating there. If the girl controlling the lava was to continue moving forward to the police, she would burn her comrade alive. The next few minutes were of bartering until the girls reluctantly backed off, leaving only the lava bitch and the ditz. Per their deal, the lava bitch left with the ditz. What was left behind was a dozen or more burnt civilians and officers, a few mall walls left in rubble, dozens of destroyed cars. This was something the Team was trained for, but even the police were simply regrouping now. With adrenaline pumping through him through either pain or pride, Alphus continued barking orders. Marie wasn't to help, but instead to act as a megaphone using a setting on her inhibitor. She was to direct the civilians capable of walking to a clear area and help set up the initial first aide camp. Meanwhile, Alphus phased to dangerous spots to save who he could or into rubble Huge couldn't move. Huge had no problem simply moving cars or rubble where told.

Ultimately, Team Redbird was only in control of the scene for eight minutes, but in that time, managed to get a rough outline of the triage system going, save a few lives, and kept control of a situation. They received quite a few commendations later. None more than Alphus. The moment his chaotic mind was cleared by the simple demand to actually do something, he found himself bringing his team and even the other officers together until someone more experienced could lead the scene better. It may have seemed like a small victory, but it was a victory that earned the respect of the Lieutenant. That was a win for the Titans as a whole.

...​

"What makes a man a leader?" Tim asked them again, this time in front of all of Team Redbird.

Marie was the first to speak up this time. "I say a leader should be able to follow directions as well as give them," she tossed out, putting a real emphasis on the 'follow'.

Then chimed in Huge, "I don't think much has changed, sir. A leader is just a man with an idea and the ability to have others help make it happen."

Alphus gave a quick smirk before added, "And, I daresay Sir Tim, that a good leader is one that can find a direction even when one isn't planned out."

Tim gave the three a smirk. Marie made a good point if for the wrong reason, Huge stuck to his previously good answer, but this time, Alphus added an important addition. "And tell me, Team Redbird, what is a leader even when no one listens?"

A short moment of silence permeated the air, but Huge was again the first the first to answer, "Commander, I would call them teammate just like anyone else."

Alphus then replied before Tim could even make a comment, "I would go a step further and perhaps call them a friend."