Titans Tower

[Life.]

Tessa Varns

Beastie
Location: Titan Towers, Memorial Hall
Tags: Sir Les Paul Seraph Darkfire One Mean Ghost

The tower was quite the piece of work. Everything was certainly aesthetically different from what Tessa has grown up with, and the hall that she was led to was certainly no exception. With wide eyes Tessa looked around excitedly. So this was the place that her grandfather lived in for a while, and from what Tessa has learned he was actually one of the first members for the Titans. This brought upon more excitement for the girl. Although the energy of her excitement nearly caused the girl to transform. Not wanting to blow her first impression Tessa directed her attention over to the other recruits next to her. Unfortunately they were both males, and she was going to have to work with them as a team. Tessa knew it was unfair of her to quickly not trust them but her past clouded her judgment. Despite not trusting them at the moment she did come up with an impression for them. They were somewhat alike having the outfit of something similar to a thug or a gang member which bolstered their 'tough' appearance. With Tessa in the picture she saw them as a makeshift gang, perhaps people a citizen wouldn't imagine being a part of the Titans.

With these running thoughts and judgments. it allowed Tessa to calm down and regain some control over her emotions. Her eyes then averted over to an older man who introduced himself as Tim Drake. From the way he held himself and the manner he looked to them gave enough details to Tessa that this man held much experience in the hero business. She rarely looked up information on other heroes beside her father and grandfather. But now that she was Tessa, the gal made herself a mental note to start doing some research on other heroes. If she could keep her interest up in looking up the past that is.

Tessa straightened her posture when she felt the eyes of Tim Drake on her. A smile appeared on her lips as she watched the older man speak of Garfield Logan, her grandfather. She felt some pride in the way he spoke of him, but she also nervous. Sure they may be fair and not put expectations on her, but in reality some of the agents may unconsciously compare her to Beast Boy. This bothered Tessa a bit but she also saw it as a challenge. Her eyes watched with admiration at all the data that appeared on the screen in front of Beast Boy's statue.

But then one of the boys spoke out. Her eyes looked over to the one that spoke. He was the more raggedy looking one in Tessa's eyes. The boy certainly didn't seemed pleased with the situation, his tone changing the atmosphere of the room.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Titan Commander​

Tim Drake​

Location Titans Tower, Memorial Hall
Tags One Mean Ghost Life. Seraph Darkfire

Tim cut straight to Dante. He wanted to give the attention to Tessa. He did. Unlike Jean before her, Tessa seemed considerably interested in the history of her father and even grandfather before him. Nonetheless, Dante was stealing the spotlight--honestly in a way Tim found distasteful. His opinions, however, didn't matter. Getting through to these kids did.

"Let me clarify something to you, Spook. I was placed as the Commander of the Titans long before you were selected to join it. Every step of the last three days was planned by me so that I could gauge your reactions. You made it well enough; your partner--whom not be named--broke down and was taken back by Hyperion. Shane was the control--as any experiment requires. I expected a soldier to react well and he did. With you two already dealt with, I don't imagine the others will be a significantly problematic. In fact, I'll share the news now," Tim said, explaining the situation and cutting through the questions that Dante had like a hot knife through butter.

"In about ten minutes, you will all go the Fifth Floor of this building with another Agent whom will explain your gear to you. One of the items in the provided briefcase containing that gear is called a PDD and it nullifies your meta-human abilities, plain and simple. Its purpose is to allow us to train you to rely on your physique and wit instead of whatever abilities you may have," Tim explained in a dull, matter-of-fact way. In all reality, his explanation was so dry by comparison of the one provided by Agent Love that the rationale behind it made immediate sense.

"Now, back to what I was discussing," Tim said, moving the conversation back. He shut down the display of Beast Boy to wave his hand over to the statue of Terra. "This is Terra. I can promise that you've never heard of her. She was the first addition to the Titans. She was the first to be given a memorial. She was also the first traitor to the Titans. Terra was a double-agent of Deathstroke. An orphaned meta' that he took in. Became a father figure to. I remember the tears when she had to choose between him or us. We may know Deathstroke was one of the most dangerous men in history, but he was family to her. In the end, Terra effectively sacrificed herself for the five of us. She was solidified into a statue that we never could revitalized. The life inside it became inert... long ago," Tim went on, giving them a different type of speech about a Titan. One the first group never received.

Tim let silence fill the air for a while. Something about his demeanor told them all it wasn't over. It was a commanding presence. A silence that only he had the power to break.

"We became her friends. Something she never had. Not alone. Not with Deathstroke. I can't tell you how she felt or why she did what she did beyond that... she never got the chance to tell us. But, we decided that day to make her memory immortal. Terra is the reason why this Hall even exists. Not to copy the one in the Hall of Justice. We are no imitation," Tim said, exhaling sharply. It was evident that he had a personal part in this.

"The point is, the Titans are not just some group of would-be heroes. You are not just agents being trained. You are not tool or soldiers or anything of the like," Tim told them all. His eyes then fell directly onto Dante. Then his face turned stone, almost as if making the next few words out of his mouth as solid as a semi on a busy highway. "So, get that thought out of your head, Dante. Same goes for you two," he declared to them all with a tone that could make a crown lose his grin.

 

[BainOfBridges]

Location: Titans Tower
Tags: Sir Les Paul Epiphany The Regal Rper ShadowBroker sitanomoto ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

Steve found himself in a state of two opposites as time went onward. Both more nervous, yet also more at ease. It was thanks their progression further into the tower, set against the mannerisms of and the way which the new agent spoke. He thought of this as he found a seat within the conference room once they stepped out of the elevator. The way the agent talked. Steve had always found there was importance to the way people talked, the emphasis they placed behind words. In foreign languages, especially those more romantic, less harsh; such placement could even vary the context of words. One could get many different meanings from the same word. Agent Johannes reminded him of a teacher. Albeit a teacher simply wishing to get things out the way. But nonetheless a teacher. It in turn reminded him of home.

Funny, so recently a classroom was the one thing Steve Carter had been looking to avoid. It came with the package deal of growing up with a family of academics. The two professors always brought their work home with them, and made sure their son would excel in his own unique studies. It could be a different way of looking at this all, were Steve simply to adopt similar mannerisms and thinking to Agent Johannes. Classroom rules, lesson plan, equipment check. This was just a first day of school. The fact the pupils were metahumans or those as dangerous didn't have to matter in the slightest.

And so Steve listened carefully, paying attention to all the agent was going over. Yes, the equipment and concepts being presented to him still felt overwhelming; talks of United Nations rules of conduct, regulations and high tech equipment. But all new things can be overwhelming to begin with, right? Part of Steve wished he'd brought a notepad with him, simply to make some reminders. He found it funny how quickly he'd suddenly slipped into his old academics mindset. A coping mechanism of sorts. His face remained attentive though the explainations, features only flickering in recognition or surprise at certain intervals throughout. One such included the arrival at the Power Disruption Devices.

It surprised him to say the least, but he understood the reasoning behind it even before Johannes elaborated. They'd have to be able to operate without them, impart to them a greater understanding of the responsibility and gift that these powers gave them. But Steve could certainly use some training with those powers also. The young man instinctively raised a hand once Johannes finished speaking as if once again a pupil in school looking to ask a question. Steve realized this quickly and his hand recoiled back down as he spoke up.

"What does the- basic training involve? Physical training, learning the um, ropes so to speak? Cause, some of us are fairly... average. Don't even know how to use these abilities let alone the rest." Steve probed, hastily adding after an awkward pause:

"Some of us meaning me."

 

[ShadowBroker]

Location: Titans Tower, 5F, C. Room A
Tags The Regal Rper @ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Epiphany Sir Les Paul sitanomoto BainOfBridges

"Not an effort to create soldiers-" he thought through the Agent's words, "Yet they act as a solid vanguard." his own inner voice already decided to put everything in question rather than accept right away these people's true motivations if not also their true goal.

However, whatever interest he had about decipher their body language paled before the briefcases and the new puzzle he confronted. Huge moved towards the seat he has so selected before the Agent could even suggest to sit down. His eyes remained stuck against the suitcase, learning its every bend and shape, observing with childish curiosity. He would be capable to taste it as to know the material of which it was made or even learn how many lays there are before cracking it open by force.

Lucky for himself, and others his so wild imagination stop as he learned through the Agent's speech the right way to open them. He wasted no time.

Once open, adding that he would open it in a very slow pace as he learned the exact angle, movement and others details that gave away the design, he continued to crawl into the briefcases from the inside as he experienced on his mind what was already an explosion of ideas, his off-hand tickling as he learned something new of the object.

The first gadget appeared and his eyes lighted up. He lifted such device as he inspected it, mumbling senseless words as he imagined the design on his mind. The same happened with the rest of the objects, even the ones that neutralized or limited inhumane power. He skipped the manuals and books, he may like to read then another time, he enjoyed to have his own assumptions of how exactly works the device rather than learn it right away.

Huge was, in a manner of speak, inspired - overwhelmed. Intrigued. And once again, confused. "What kind of training could it be?" he asked himself until someone else spoke. A man who seem filled with pride on his tone. Perhaps - he said to himself, perhaps.

 

[Epiphany]

Location: Titans Tower, 5F, C. Room A
Tags: Sir Les Paul BainOfBridges The Regal Rper ShadowBroker sitanomoto ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

Scyleia listened to Agent Johannes' more serious speech with a somber impression, nodding along in a few places. She didn't especially agree with his initial statement, though; soldiers were exactly what these new Titans were likely to be. Perhaps the Agent only saw the role of soldiers as one fit for warfare? Among the Amazons, all trained for battle as soldiers but most spent most of their time engaged in other pursuits as well. A cultural difference, she decided.

She took a seat when offered, one of the chairs right next to the Agent. The Amazon met his gaze squarely, listening to him but not particularly concerned with impressing him. This wasn't a job interview now. And she was much more interested in understanding what he knew than concentrating on what he thought.

The Amazon accepted her briefcase and followed instructions, placing her right palm over the indents before placing her left. As instructed, she snapped on her WTComm and then slid her WTBand around one of the bracers she wore. She glanced over the survey, chuckled once as she skimmed the questions, and then tucked the League Identification Badge into one of her coat pockets.

She frowned slightly at the waistband and bracers, then snapped them over her Amazonian bracers. The Agent reiterated information she'd already received, information she'd already had time to process and choose to accept. That didn't make it especially palatable but most of those she'd serve beside were young, perhaps newly come to their powers, and invariably lacking discipline. The opportunity to practice discipline should always be welcome, especially if setting a good example made it easier for others to learn.

The face presented to Agent Johannes was impassive, interested and intent.

When Steve spoke up, her marble-like countenance softened slightly. It wasn't her place to answer but she nodded to him once, showing appreciation for the question.

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Location: Titan Tower
Tags: Sir Les Paul Epiphany The Regal Rper ShadowBroker sitanomoto BainOfBridges

Jean entered the elevator being Johannes and the others and listened to him to speak. She smiled, at last someone who did not think superheroes were the be all and end all of everything. His words were true, heroes didn't always have to be powered though sometimes they were necessary. She still was vehemently agsinst this as her future career, however there was nothing wrong to help behind the front lines and assist the heroes that way. She was amazed she hadn't considered that possibility earlier, would have gotten her out many arguments with her sister.

She entered the room and sat down and sighed half listening yo Johannes now as she could figure what each item was. It was not hard though: seriously? A survey? Do they really need feedback for superhero training? She shook her head and rolled her eyes. She soon felt a familiar feeling, a little weakness in her hands, s numbnees in her toes. The old need of electricity was back and she had used up her batteries. She hoped this meeting would not last too long. She raised an eyebrow at Johannes mention of people reliant on her powers, she was more interested in that than what training would be like. "You said something about supplemental devices?" She spoke up wanting to turn the conversation back on track.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Alexander Alfaise
Location: Titan Towers, Memorial Hall
Tags: One Mean Ghost Life. Sir Les Paul

"Let me clarify something to you, Spook." Alex was quite proud of himself for not immediately breaking out in laughter. What kind of name was Spook? It was the type of name that would have gotten some decent ribbing from the guys in the gang.

'Nullify our abilities?' Alex frowned in confusion. Unless he had a large group, his abilities were fairly useless. Having them or not didn't really affect his day to day life. But a good physique and wit were what he had in large quantity and quality. He'd been the best runner in the business and was confident in his fitness.

He was brought out of his thoughts as the Titan Commander began speaking about another statue. A girl named Terra. Alex looked at the statue thoughtfully "She cared a lot about the Titans huh?" he said softly, barely above a whisper. He wondered what that was like, loving something so much you'd be willing to die for it. He then began to wonder if this statue was the real Terra, or just another statue made in her image.

"So, get that thought out of your head, Dante. Same goes for you two" oh so his real name was Dante, that wasn't as funny. Alex looked at Tim before shaking his head "Well, rather than stand here and be morbid," he said quickly brightening up his attitude "I'd rather get talking about the fun stuff; the gadgets and toys the Titans use" he grinned. Oh the things he could do with the hi-tech stuff that they had.

After all, if they had devices that could turn off their abilities, they certainly had stuff that'd be fun to use.

"I'd also like to request paints of various colors be sent to my room...if I have one" he chuckled "I have a particularly terrible case of grafititis; if I don't change the aesthetics of my surroundings every so often, I am liable to die" Alex was sure they had information on him, but that didn't stop him from wagging his silver tongue. Besides, everything had gotten far to serious for him, if he could liven up the mood then that was a win for him.

 

[sitanomoto]

Rebecca Drake, Blackbird
Location: Titans Tower, Conference room.
Tags: Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper ThatGuyWithSouvlaki BainOfBridges Epiphany ShadowBroker

Becky listened, taking her seat in the conference room as well as her briefcase. She smiled as Johannes talked.
Her immediate attention was on opening her briefcase, and as she followed the instructions she couldn't help a little half-smile. She was at an advantage. She had been trained in hand-to-hand combat, strategy, and relying on nothing but her own instincts. Granted, that last part could be a problem, seeing as how she was on a team now, but her attention was diverted to Steven. She smiled. "Don't worry. You'll pick up hand-to-hand fast." Becky said reassuringly, running a hand through her hair. "Well, Agent Johannes, anything else we need to know?"
She looked at Scyleia, and then at Jean.

Spoiler: Note

Sorry that it's kinda short guys, you all asked the questions I was going to ask
>U<

 

[The Regal Rper]

Location: Titan Tower; 5F,
Tags: ShadowBroker Epiphany sitanomoto BainOfBridges ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Sir Les Paul

Alphus followed Agent Johannes' instructions dutifully. When he was told to sit, he sat, picking his seat next to Miss Drake. When Johannes spoke, he listened. He made mental notes on the important stuff, saving small files in his mind where the information could be -will be- vital. Most of the information on these devices would require reading, he'd done it once before he had no real problem doing it again. Something he was entirely willing to do. Unlocking his case he set to work; glanced at the handbooks, threw a cursory glance at the devices then fixed his attention on the device that had been on his mind since he'd entered the tower. His thoughts were halted before he could go in to examine it, by Agent Johannes explanations of the survey.

Alphus looked it over. His eyes lingered a bit longer on the questions asked, while he listened to what Agent Johannes had to say on the matter. It was discarded back into the briefcase in exchange for his PDD and his League Identification Badge, the same time Johannes began etiam.

The young man took his time studying the badge. A part of him swelled with pride, though his facial expression and personal definition of professionalism prevented him from showing it, he was filled with a sense of elation -till his eyes fell back on the Power Disruption Device and he recalled that thirst for wanting to know what it would do.

"Speaking of training, Agent Johannes, sir, I presume we'll be undergoing something similar shortly today? An evaluation of sorts perhaps?

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Titan Lieutenant​

Agent Johannes​

Location Titans Tower, 5F, C. Room A
Tags The Regal Rper ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Epiphany ShadowBroker sitanomoto BainOfBridges

Johannes listened to each one of the questions the Titans had. They all seemed to share one intrinsic curiosity: what type of training were in for? There were two slight variations, however. One was curious about the supplemental devices. The other, if they were to be tested. What he saw was a mind that had become accustomed to the needs of its body and another that had already began thinking ahead. Such was to be expected by someone that spent time with mister Drake.

Johannes then took a brief moment to prioritize these questions. Answering one might answer several, but Johannes was well-aware of just what Jean meant by her question. More importantly, he knew precisely why she was curious. His eyes fell to her, slightly softer than they were a moment ago.

"In our research, we realized that disallowing the use of all abilities may be problematic. These supplemental devices are intended to work around that. Inside your pack, Agent Malcoms, you will find your specific PDD and four battery packs. Most PDD's are designed in the shape of skin-adherent discs. Yours is shaped more similarly to that of Agent Lancaster: a bracer. Yours will have a insertion slot for a single, provided battery at a time, each one capable of providing you with three days worth of power, by our estimates. I believe we decided to give you a belt that can hold two as well. The charging port for them is in your room, meaning you can charge the fourth while keeping the first three on you. And yes, they're waterproofed. By inserting the battery into the slot, you will bypass the PDD temporarily to drain it. An onscreen display on your WTBand will tell you your remaining power and alert you when it drops below 10%. This should allow you to have a week's worth of power on you at any given time, which we felt a fair compromise. As it stands now, a single battery giving you three days should be far more convenient than what you carry now," Johannes explained. It was the same dull explanation, but it covered each question she could have had. It also presented evidence that the Titans had put considerable forethought into the devices they prepared. Scyleia was given devices that increased the pull of gravity, Jean was given a bypass due to the necessity of her ability and homeostasis.

Johannes allowed a moment for what he said to sink in. At this point, he was sure Jean would be quick to put on her PDD and slide in a battery. Meanwhile, he turned his attention to the other Titans.

"The short answer is yes. You will have a physical fitness test at a later time in the day. We need to benchmark your performance to measure your improvements. Nonetheless," Johannes said, quickly transitioning into the more popular question, "Your training will be broken up into three categories: Classroom Blocks, Fitness Blocks and Combat Blocks. You will have two Blocks daily with weekends free. Classroom Blocks are exactly what they sound like: periods you will be in a classroom being taught all the fun and fantastic regulations that come with being a hero. Fitness Blocks are physical conditioning classes. We separate them out from Combat Classes because Combat itself is not just teaching you how to fight, but strategy and resourcefulness. In fact, your Combat classes will begin as remedial classes over tactics and strategy. We might even let you play popular video games against each other, such as Sid Meier's Civilization X. Reason being, many of you will need time for your bodies to be adjust before you can handle fitness training and true combat training," Johannes explained to them, answering what was easily the most desired question in the room. Of course, it wasn't the answer they wanted. He was sure they wanted to know some Martial Art or perhaps intense Navy Seals testing requirements, but this was the real world. The real world demanded they get to the basics.

Johannes then quickly looked to Becky, almost as if predicting her disdain of everything that was just listed. "Even if you are in suitable physical condition, you will go through these classes. If we find a better use for time, I may implement combat or even advanced combat training. But you will have to prove it," he added, again focusing specifically on Becky, but not in such a way that the entire class didn't receive the message.

 

[BainOfBridges]

Location: Titans Tower
Tags: Sir Les Paul Epiphany The Regal Rper ShadowBroker sitanomoto ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

A smile and an internal breath of relief were the first two things Steve gave. The former an awkward but polite one back toward Becky and the second a response to Johannes' more detailed elaboration on the training they'd be receiving. There was a mixture of optimism and nerves that was brought on by the agent's explanation. The classrooms, the theory- he could probably handle. Perhaps even excel in. He'd always been told he took after his parents; an academic. If he hadn't been burnt out by the constant examination he might have continued down that same path. The course content could help ignite that old drive. And he wasn't half bad at Civ X either. It was the physicality that unnerved him.

Steve tried to recall how his old gym teacher had described him. Painfully average? At any rate he'd always been in the middle. Fourth or fifth in a sprinting race, mid section of the pack in a marathon. Nearer the end when picked for a football or soccer team. Steve had the sneaking suspicion being a superhero would need far more than average. The blue haired hero's words of reassurance weakened the more Steve thought over it. Pick it up fast? For all he knew she could have been doing the basics barely out of diapers. Nonetheless Johannes' explanation had been more than satisfactory toward answering his question.

He hastily placed his palms on the briefcase as the agent finished up, briefcase opening up to reveal the expensive contents. Steve got about snugly fitting the gadgets on. He appreciated Johannes' efforts to get the handbooks into paperback. Technology had far moved past the level of the late 20th and early 21st century of course but Steve had always enjoyed reading from a more tangible book than off a screen. Part of him wagered he might be the one of the few in the room who would actually enjoy reading the handbooks, not even counting the 500 page UN monolith of statutory regulations and amendments.

 

[Life.]

Tessa Varns

Beastie
Location: Titan Towers, Memorial Hall
Tags: Sir Les Paul Seraph Darkfire One Mean Ghost

Tessa watched as the older man's eyes looked--or to be more precise, stared down---the raggedy boy named Spook. The girl would have laughed from the oddity of the name, but the manner in which the commander spoke kept her silent. It appeared as though the young man named Spook had been through some past experiences when entering the Titans. Her eyes moved from the commander to the raggedy boy then back to Tim Drake when he began explaining the upcoming situation to them.

So they were to be trained without their abilities. This didn't pose an issue to Tessa. She has some experience in the basic martial arts of karate, judo, and kung fu. But the girl knows that more effort can be placed into her physical abilities. Plus more strength in her human form can allow more strength in her animal forms.

The conversation changed directions as the commander directed their attention over to a certain statue. It had the form of a girl that Tessa was not familiar with. But from the way Tim Drake spoke of her and her past she certainly was a special individual. Too have much trust and faith in...friends. I wonder if one day I will feel such experiences. Tessa held too much standards for others to follow in order to trust them. Some part of her hopes that by joining the Titans this can change. Her golden eyes looked over to the statue, etching every detail in her memory.

The Titans are not would-be heroes, tools, or soldiers...

Tessa repeated Tim Drake's words in her mind. She had never really thought about how she saw the Titans. Really she joined to discover her past and lineage, or specifically her purpose. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a different voice speak. This time it was the other young man. He didn't appear as stern as the one named Dante, as Tessa came to learn.

A small smile re-appeared on Tessa's face as she listened to him. She was glad that the mood was lightening up from the tense air that was previously lingering around. "Ah so we have an artist in our midst? Perhaps you can paint me like one of your French girls?" she laughed softly.

 

[Epiphany]

Location: Titan Tower 5F, C. Room A
Tags: Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper ShadowBroker sitanomoto BainOfBridges ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

The explanation the Agent offered concerning the rationale for turning off powers provided some useful context. What Scyleia found most interesting about the conversation was the use of referring to her and her new team as Agents. She'd originally assumed Johannes was exactly what one expected an 'Agent' to be; an employee of the government, probably working in partnership with whatever initiative Tim Drake had gotten off the ground. If it was a shared title, though, it implied he might be like them as well. Another super-powered individual and not simply a man.

Scyleia smiled silently to herself and nodded once. A good lesson in assumption. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

The breakdown of time spent was...a little disappointing but not terribly surprising either. She'd been warned that this Titan Initiative wouldn't be launching a new, fully-fledged team but assembling one. Probably with metrics in place to justify to the government the efficacy and utility of employing such teams again. Classrooms were ideal for that.

For a brief moment, Scyleia remembered being Cylle Walker. The years she'd spent as a potter, making masterpieces and teaching students had been happy ones, shared as they were with Kimberly. For once, the memory of her ex-wife was less an ache and more...simply background to another more relevant memory. Classes. Teaching. Instruction. Having students listening to her. She'd had centuries of instruction on Themyscira, of learning to spar and fight and build and love. But in some ways, the classes Cylle taught so briefly stood out far more vividly.

Perhaps these classes would be equally memorable, even if she was once more the student.

"Mister Johannes," Scyleia said after he finished his explanation. "Thank you for explaining the structure of our education. I'd like to understand your expected timetable. While I suspect our actual deployment date may vary somewhat based on how we perform individually or as a team...when are you expecting us to transition to field missions? And are there any expectations of our oversight you can share?"

 

[ShadowBroker]

Location: Titan Tower 5F, C. Room A
Tags: Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper Epiphany sitanomoto @BainOfBridges ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

"What is Sid Meier's Civilization X?" he asked himself this and so others many questions that came as more words rolled down from the Agent's mouth. Huge has never been in a modern school, not even with true teachers or a classroom alike any other. In such regard, he acted curious about what subjects would the class exactly would be reading, learning - pursuing in order to become part of such a vanguard movement alike the Titans. The physical combat training and fitness did not change a single bit on Huge's head, didn't even called his attention. Maybe he was more than sure he could bypass whatever physical obstacle, or perhaps his mind was already overwhelmed with different questions.

"That woman again-" he drifted his attention as her words seem to be rather odd, "Scyleia" he muttered for himself since Agent Johannes so spoke about her and something about bracers - if you had ever read a book, you may know there are different readers. Those who read each and every letter objectively, such as an instruction without anything more than a logical conclusion, there are those who read some pages and try to draw the atmosphere, projecting their own perspective over the walls around them. Huge was the kind that, as he reads, he becomes part of such book; one that can smell the roses written on the page and shake over the cold winds of autumn - hence why his eyes stood idly over the woman whose aspect deceive him. The story is unfinished.

At the very end it was true, he knew little about anyone on the room. These classes and training will prove useful for such regard. Beside of the main objective which is to test ourselves - both as a group and as individuals. The odds are not on Huge's favor, trading words with the people among him. But so far he managed to avoid to say a single word that could show his inability of expression, hopefully he only would need to nod and shrug with little details or statements to declare. Not until truly needed. If he were to learn each and every member of this group, it would only be by reading them.

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Location: Titan Tower
Tags: Sir Les Paul Epiphany The Regal Rper ShadowBroker sitanomoto BainOfBridges

Jean listened to the answer curiously, she couldn't deny the essential what was power pack was quite useful. More than once her waning energy draws led to trouble in the past, one of which lead to an injury of a fellow student once. A device should keep her charged without worrying about finding a source of electricity that wouldn't upset someone or cause another issue. Certainly would work better than turning of her powers which she would guess might be fatal to her considering her connection to her. She had to admit she was impressed but couldnt help feel nervous and mistrustful of a device that can regulate her powers despite Johannes explanation, Still what choice did she have now? She had to trust the new titans are still the organisation she knew.

Training seemed to sound fair as well, she was relieved training didn't involve just combat training. She was never one to explore her powers so was not that powerful or handy with it as one would expect and wondered how that would be received. At least she will have some joy with Civ X, she always enjoyed strategy games and wondered what their application would be to training. Would they expect us to rule countries by the end of the training? The teen titans are going to world domination? The thought made her chuckle to herself before hearing another interesting question being asked and looked at the agent for the answer.

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

Hero Points: 0

Codename: SpookRank: Tier 3Cards: NoneLocation: Titan's Tower - Near the Statues

Tags: Sir Les Paul
Life. Seraph Darkfire

"Let me clarify something to you, Spook."

Dante's eyes narrowed at the name. It was incredibly evident he despised that name. No matter what spin you wanted to put on it, no matter what connotations such a name could have, it still came off as an absolute joke to anyone that heard it.

Even as the commander spoke, Dante's posture did not change. So this man had been behind everything, and Dante's early arrival basically amounted to him being tested separately from others. Perhaps it was because he was considered dangerous, or less obedient than the other Titan recruits. The reasoning didn't matter. The point was, he had been a guinea pig for an early 'experiment' as Tim put it, and that didn't sit right with Dante. If there was one thing that set the ghost-child off, it was having people yank him along with wool over his eyes.

His gripes over that, however, could wait. His remarks had achieved the desired effect. Now he knew who was really pulling the strings, and the new recruits wouldn't get the same less-than-savory treatment he did.

For now, he just kept up his defensive posture as he listened to Terra's story.

When Tim talked about friendship, Dante's expression changed ever so slightly. His sister's words started echoing in his head again.

"You're not really a bad guy, Dante."

You act like a thug most of the time, but really you're -"

"You're not going to be the only tough guy where you're going, and if you keep up the act you've been doing, you're just going to make enemies when you should be making friends and allies."

Dante couldn't help the subtle smile that crept across his lips when he thought about his sister. She had a feeling she'd get along greatly with their Commander. That smile quickly vanished when Tim changed his tone again.

"The point is, the Titans are not just some group of would-be heroes. You are not just agents being trained. You are not tool or soldiers or anything of the like,"

Clearly, he hadn't relayed that message to Agent Love. For fuck's sake, she pretty much said the exact opposite. According to her, they were here to be trained as soldiers first and foremost, then their powers were to be added to make them heroes. From her exact words, they were to be trained to become agents. Shit, the way she made it sound, they were just to be interchangeable tools to be swapped out as the need called for it. He was about to call Tim on the disjointed messages he was receiving from his various leaders, but before he could, the other young man spoke up, followed in short order by the young woman.

No, now was not the time to cause another scene. No matter how much he wanted to tear into someone for the bullshit he'd been through thus far. At least, if nothing else, Tim used his actual name instead of that farce of a name the second time he addressed him.

Instead, he allowed himself a smirk instead at Tessa's statement. If nothing else, at least these newer recruits were a lot more fun to be around than the last two...

"Careful... he might just take you up on that. Then you have to worry about it going viral online" Dante quipped to Tessa without taking his eyes off of Tim. Even now, he didn't care to let his guard down around those in charge here. Not until their mixed signals got sorted out, at the very least.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

• Johannes
• The Clip
• Tim Drake

• Titan Lieutenant​

  

  Agent Johannes​
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Location Titans Tower, 5F, C. Room A
  Tags The Regal Rper ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Epiphany ShadowBroker sitanomoto BainOfBridges

  Before Alphus or Rebecca were even given the opportunity to respond to Johannes--Rebecca in particular given he was specifically addressing her--another individual entered the room. Regular build, but blond and gorgeous. Bright green eyes several hues lighter than those of Johannes. A fair amount older, too. Perhaps closer to that of Scyleia than the others. Moreso was her attire: a tight corset with a lacy brim just barely riding under her collar bone under a lighter, red military-style vest. Above each of her hips sat two large pistols and attached to her hips and thighs were tonfa in holsters. Her corset appeared to be a one piece separated by a belt that held more pieces of equipment as well as some extra clips for her handguns. Aside from that, she had nothing but a set of black leggings riding down to a pair of thinner boots. Oh, and was that a fucking Bowie knife on her ankle? That's a fucking Bowie knife on her ankle. This bitch can't be real.
  
  She was real.
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Agent Q​

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Most remarkably was her porcelian white skin most obviously made by some thick layer of make-up that intentionally appeared to be cracked. Her lips were a bright, unnatural red and the shadowing around her eyes looked absolutely fake. When she stood still, she could have passed for a living doll. Even the cracks were uncomfortable, made from a color called Vanta Black that was dark enough to absorb all oncoming light and look like literal holes. It was eerie, unless one was attracted to such a thing. Then, she spoke.
  
  "Joooooohanes. You're taking forever!" she said, sliding into the room with a sultry waltz. Not that it had any effect on Johannes.
  
  "Q, there are six of them--not three. This will take a litt--"
  
  She cut him off. "Well, I'm bored down there waiting for someone to test," she responded with a distinctive pout on her face. Even through the make-up, her facial expressions were apparent.
  
  Now, one might think Johannes would become flustered. Frustrated at this intrusion. Almost more eerie than the make-up that Q wore was the stone-cold response Johannes had. His fingers began flying across a screen below him, seemingly built into the table itself. "Fine, but Tim insisted on them watching this video," he said without making eye contact with the other agent.
  
  She giggled before responding, "Oh, kids, this is a good one. You're gonna love it. Mister Waller almost gets killed--it's fantastic!"
  
  Johannes calmly hit a few more buttons before the room darkened. "Miss Lancaster, field missions do not officially begin until you become a Tier Two Titan. That requires passing all testing and benchmarks as well as demonstrating team--"
  
  "--now, I know you've been here longer than anyone, so don't take this the wrong way, but: play the damn clip." Q said, interrupting him again.
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
• 

  
  

  
  
  

  File Upload...
  ▓ ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌Complete▐▐▐▐▐▐▐▐▐ ▓​
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  • Page 1
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  • Johannes pressed the button and in just a few moments, the table between them lit up. At first, it had several booting sequences of blue diagrams and what seemed to be oddly-shaped objects of various sizes randomly rotating in different directions. Just a series of graphic test sequences, really, but still within the realms of impressive to anyone whom may not have ever seen one. It was only a half-moment before the screen booted up to a flashing panel that read 'File Upload... Complete' before beginning to populate the entire field with a geographic overlay of what appeared to be a large city. It took little time for five floating screens appeared alongside the overlay of the city below. A still shot of the letter T on each for now as the five screens aligned in a slight curve, granting the appearance of a curved screen--although with a few sharp angles. This technology is what the League had to offer. This was the new standard of the Titans.
    
    "I would explain what is going on here, but I fear Agent Q will interrupt. Short end: these are five elite agents posed against the TitanGuard, which was basically an initiative to replace the League. As Agents, this is what we aspire for you to be in the field," Johannes said, keeping things short to avoid incurring Agent Q again. If anything, to avoid her annoying banter.
    
    The delays were over.
    
    [On to Page 2.]
  • The field below them was massive. At least half of the city was included. The focus soon shifted as the overlay shrank down to the size of a dozen city blocks to focus on the equipment Agent Love referred to earlier. Three enormous trucks hauled themselves through the panicked streets. Each were entirely custom combat vehicles, all unlabeled. Completely unmanned and just large enough to make it down a single side of a street--if only by literal inches. The two outer screens started out pitch black with the three center ones illuminating the trucks; all below was the overlay of the field. Soon after, the left outer screen kicked on and began showing an advanced mapping system--some of which shut down or took over newer, auto-piloted cars to make way for the trucks to advance with the clearest path. Not unlike what emergency services were capable of. The entire system even before implementation was integrated deeply into the city. The right screen soon lit up with several videos of various, mechanical tendrils tearing through buildings as Braniac Bots broke into high-priority buildings and began downloading pertinent information.
    
    Then came the first confrontation. There were many threats to the city. Braniac Bots acting as autonomous data miners before destroying what they determine unnecessary. Triangular platforms roughly the size of a city block and at least three stores tall, equipped with canons, mechanical arms and capable of deploying Braniac Bots. Not to mention the drop ships that stayed within a protective field created by the mother ship hovering above. It was one of those ships that planted a platform right in front of the convoy. Immediately, the trucks stopped and recharted course. When within a calculated distance, the center truck stopped, anchored itself in the ground and in just a moment, five metallic bodies flew out of several compartments on the truck. This was the beginning.
    
    The Titans were large constructs, nearly eight foot tall, and made completely out of a dull, plated metal. All were identical, appearing similar to a European Knight in stature with several patches of extra, thickened plating and a short, slopped fin atop their head. Overall, there bodies were incredibly streamlined, including the thrusters on their back and various hubs for attachments. There was no immediate design flaw, no place to easily grasp, no fold to rip open, nothing left bare or exposed. These were the inventions of a Luthor, no doubt.
    
    The platform took next to no time to discern the Titans were a threat. It began launching its mechanical tendrils at them, but the Titans were not only able to swiftly dodge and analyze the patterns of the tendrils, but two connected their arms with a green laser grid and began cutting through the tendrils, disabling the platform. Not only were their movements equally swift and coordinated, but their on-spot adaptation continuously made them more efficient at disabling the platform. It seemed the first wave of Braniac deployment platforms stood no chance.
    
    This quick adaptation became the pattern for the next series of defenses the platform had. Particle beams were dodged and collateral damage was avoided significantly due to the several powered bulwarks that were deployed from the equipment containers in the second truck that were then guided by one of the Titans. Surrounded by eight floating barriers, the Titan placed itself perfectly time after time to deflect damage and save lives. All that was left were the Braniac Bots and their deployment was futile. Outmatched by plasma weapons attached to the arms of the Titans, they were quickly scraped before the drop ships even had a chance to deploy reinforcements.
    
    The Titans weren't the only bionic beings capable of adaptation, however. Each new platform proved more and more difficult to bring down. By the fourth wave of platforms, the Braniac Bots were now fighting in tandem with the tendrils and entirely new drones were being launched to specifically target deployed equipment from the equipment trucks. Not only that, the Braniac Bots had determined that the Titans were intentionally preventing collateral damage. This actually coincided with one of their primary objectives: secure worldly data before destruction. However, such objectives had been quickly overrode in the face of opponents like the Titans.
    
    Now, the Braniac Bots were intentionally splitting the attention of the Titans. Groups of three, an awkward number for the Titans to deal with, were launching themselves at the trucks in an attempt to eliminate enemy resources and the potential of a base of operations. While this would be untrue in the sense that the Titans were controlled via secured satellite, the strategy was still valid. At the same time, other groups of three were being sent out to assault the largest possible groups of human civilians fleeing and did so by assaulting the largest buildings.
    
    The ultimate result was the trucks deploying all remaining equipment modules to be controlled by the Titans. This eliminated one potential target and allowed the Titans more useful tools. Kinetic stabilizers and barriers were being used by each set of Titans. Two of which were using their bodies, barriers and tools to literally hold up falling buildings. The screens began showing flickers of stabilizers creating tactile fields around parts of the building while the Titans themselves tried to evacuate civilians.
    
    The other three Titans began a massacre as a hunting party. By first imitating the actions of the Braniac Bots as a group of three, they began selectively targeting them using the trucks as bait. It wasn't until the remaining bots began to assault the Titans on the falling buildings that tactics changed. This was where the Titans truly shined. With all of their equipment deployed, including three impressive sets of long-range weaponry in the form of plasma rifles, the Titans began tearing through the Braniac Bots with even greater ease than the first way. New toys, new tricks.
    
    But, it wasn't just an onslaught. The Titans and their movements were perfectly synchronized. Even the Titans evacuating citizens. Weaving in and out of their own patterns, they blasted through the remaining Bots while darting around them with no clear target and in fact seeming to miss blasts--until it all came together. Using the same laser-cutter technique they disarmed the first platform with, two bots began cutting through the platform again. This time, the platform reinforced. In the end, that adaptation didn't matter as all the 'missed shots' chipped away at the outside plating.
    
    The next wave of Braniac Bots came in with the crashing reality that there were still several other ongoing platforms and hundreds of other Bots throughout Boston sacking the city. The Titans may have been eliminating the Braniac Bots easier, but they were far slower in taking down the entire platforms. This Titan Unit could only do so much. This fact became more evident when the next wave of Braniac Bots came in a large diversity of units. Because the last fight took longer, the Braniac System had more time to adapt. More time to figure out how to fight the Titans.
    
    The two systems clashed: the TitanGuard of Alexis Luthor vs. the Braniac System of an Intergalactic Genius. It was never a fair fight. The Titans were quickly forced off the offense by aimed particle shots from long range weaponry the Braniac Bots built to combat the diverse tactics the Titans displayed. The tendrils, this time, did not assault the Titans whatsoever; instead, their plated bodies created shielding and valleys for both sides, forcing the Titans to either come in through heavily-guarded holes or the Bots to make it through.
    
    As the Titans backed off, the Bots went on their assault. Adapting to the plasma cutters with the use of their own, purple-hued energy weapons. Not only did they prove capable of clashing with the Titans, but their movements were synchronized together just as eloquently as those the Titans previously displayed. It was no immediate massacre, however. The Titans, when grouped as five, constantly adapted to their Braniac counterparts. The fight was intense. Titans displaying advanced tactics like launching themselves at the opponent using slingshot techniques, blades hooked onto each other for quick shifts in movement and ultimately even close-range grapples on the other bots.
    
    As the fight drew on, the Titans went down one-by-one. The first was impaled during a grapple. The Braniac Bots were disposable. The Titans were just four. Then, three, when one of the Braniacs damaged the plasma rifle the Titan was using, causing it to malfunction and meltdown the Titan. The remaining three simply were out numbered and quickly gunned down.
    
    42 minutes. That was the duration of five Titans and their equipment. thirty-nine total platforms were eliminated, eight-hundred fifty-two Braniac Bots were destroyed and an estimated twenty-seven thousand total lives were saved. These statistics read across the center screens which faded to black.
    
    [On to Page 3.]
  • The screens illuminated again. The simulation began considerably different. Each of the five screens were focused on a different individual. The center screen focused on a woman in red-clad bionic armor with a yellow visor. Below her screen read 'Scarlet Rose', which seemed to be a pattern for all of the screens. Below the picture of the Commander was his title, below the picture of Waller was 'The Wall', there was another female in a dark green armor that read 'The Enforcer'--that was Agent Love, by accounts. The final was a gentlemen in considerably different gear--that was Hyperion. The focus of this simulation seemed to be more on the specifics of each team member than the actions of a system.
    
    "Wall, barricade the East at 89.23, 45.47. This will be the drop-off point for civilians. Enforcer, Hyperion, there are six platforms within a kilometer radius near the Children's Hospital. Clear them out. Commander, you target the bots. Take a Mark 57. I will be the front line for the wall and keep survey the field. Go," said the central figure, Scarlet Rose. Her word appeared to be law. Even for Waller.
    
    Waller took no time in darting off to the destination given him. His armor closely resembled that of Scarlet Rose. A dark red with a few metal scrapes. His back was adorned with considerably smaller thrusters, but a set of three compacted guns. His forearms and elbows had small protrusions that prevented his armor from being entirely streamline, but it worked nonetheless. Waller began literally throwing cars into buildings or onto the sizes of the streets. Anything that was in his way, but he didn't do so haphazardly. He lined the up along the sizes of the streets against buildings in such a way that they provided slight reinforcement. Not long after, he planted began planting down discs on the ground. The focus quickly shifted.
    
    Scarlet Rose fired a single shot from a massive sniper rifle she had nested atop a large building. The shot was tracked through the air and it hit its mark: one of the thrusters on a platform that was descending in front of Hyperion and Enforcer. The Titans may have took down their first platform with ease, but the Vanguard made it look like part of an obstacle course. Hyperion used his magnetic chips launch up to create perfectly placed platforms for Enforcer to leap up on. And, so she did, launching herself up at the off-tilted platform. Together, they were able to blast down several Braniac Bots headed their way, but that was far from the impressive part. The Enforcer only elevated herself so high to plant a device on one of the tendrils of the platform before being pulled back by the magnetic forces at play with Hyperion.
    
    Soon after, the tendril was literally ripped off the platform, then straightened out and impaled through the metal monstrosity like an enormous spear. Explosions ensued and the platform toppled straight to the ground--all in under a minute. As it fell to the ground, Hyperion used the tendril spear to guide it down away from the more populated areas and in the mean time, the Commander was darting in and out of the fray with survivors. They may not have had the synchronicity of flying war machines, but they each definitely played a specific role.
    
    As for the Commander, his feats were likely the most impressive thus far. In less than ten minutes, his Braniac Bot kill count had skyrocketed to nearly two-hundred and fifty--more than any of the Titans. His tactic was simple. Almost as if teleporting, the Commander launched himself at bots in fractions of a second and used his bionic arm to impale through their chest to a central core. When he banked sufficient time, he became intangible. The Mark 57, however, was not. The gun was a beast with a tendency to over heat, but it cut through Braniac Bots like a hot knife through butter. No, not all his shots hit their mark, but they didn't need to. By the time the gun neared over heating, he had used most of his banked time and returned to impaling the bots. Overall, he kept the field clear for Hyperion and Enforcer as they trekked through.
    
    Then came the second wave. These bots adapted, too. Unique to this group, however, was that there existed some aspects of combat they could not immediately adapt to. The Commander, for instance, moved too quickly to observe, so the mechanisms of his technique were nigh impossible to adapt. The Enforcer was skilled; the best gunman on the team. Adapting to skill alone was a difficult task. Most likely the easiest one to adapt to was Hyperion. The next metallic platforms were non-magnetic, or at least, not to the same degree. Without the aid of a metallic structure, even the attachments Hyperion possessed were not sufficient to let him impale an entire platform again.
    
    Waller kept out of the fray. In the time the others were tearing through the field in front of them, Waller had called in and designed an entire safe zone for civilians and even brought in hundreds of them that the others had saved. Unlike the others, his combat style was more conservative. What he brought in was the equipment. In fact, all of the equipment for his team was delegated to him. Two huge plasma canons were zoning drop ships out of the sky, preventing them from placing any platforms near the safe area. The area on the ground was covered in a purple projection of kinetic energy fed by the cities electrical lines and a converter. The entire point was to provide a low-to-the ground platform for citizens to run to that kept them protected from falling debris and other damage.
    
    Most unique to Waller was not his constructs, however. It was his recruitment. Waller convinced hundreds of young souls to help. Firemen, EMS workers, police and even just able-bodied men capable of carrying another went back out into the fray to save others. Waller set up communications with people he delegated leadership to. The ultimate base of operations used was a subway tunnel beneath the surface which was now being stocked with resources 'appropriated' from a nearby hospital. Nurses, medics and even doctors were helping out--all because Waller convinced them to. While the others were fighting a battle above, Waller was leading a revolution below.
    
    Meanwhile, the Enforcer and Hyperion were beginning to meet their match. By the third wave, the Enforcer had to activate the neural net enhancement in her suit. Her blasts were doing more than hitting her targets. Using her two trademark handguns, she was able to perceive and even blast projectiles out of the air from Braniac Bots. However, the Bots were hardly the issue. The Commander took care of them with ease. At thirteen minutes in, his killcount was at 756--alone, he neared the total that the TitanGuard took out. However, most of the kills were attributed to him as Scarlet Rose had only three, Waller had zero and Hyperion and Enforcer combined had less than fifty.
    
    Their goal, however, was to disable the platforms, and they did. However, they took another step. The Enforcer, when boarding the first few, placed devices inside each one that allowed Scarlet Rose to analyze them. There was a method to their placement as she determined. While the primary objective was to secure data, it was more so to gain networking placement. This battle, despite being a simulation, was an entire farce by Braniac. The overall objective of their opponent was simply to plant enough remote networking controls to gain access to Earthly networks and gain control over them over time. With hundreds more Braniac Bots and Platforms being dropped all around the city, it was entirely impossible to actually win this simulation.
    
    "The ground forces are a distraction. Get a drop ship. They have a communication relay with the mother ship. The platforms are only networked with each other," Scarlet Rose instructed them over their comms.
    
    The Commander was the first to chime in, "What will it look like and what do we do with it?"
    
    "Inside one of those? I have no idea. What we need is a way to confirm which networks have been compromised," Scarlet answered him.
    
    "Once he gets to the internet, will it matter?" Hyperion asked. Weren't they all taught that once it got on the internet, it was out there?
    
    "Stop asking questions. There are plenty of defense specialists for that. We're on the front lines," Scarlet answered.
    
    Then came the surprise. "I'm in. It came from Waller.
    
    "What do you mean you're in?" Scarlet replied.
    
    I'm in a drop ship. I'll tell you whe--"
    
    "What the fuck, Joseph? You were on defense."
    
    "Yeah, about that. Put Hyperion on defense next time. He's better at it."
    
    "Joseph, you cocksucker. If you fuck this up for u--"
    
    "--Oh shit. Meri--" It cut off. Not from static. From Scarlet.
    
    "Regroup. Enforcer, Hyperion, return to the coordinates. Hyperion. you're on defense. I'll patch you up to controls. Enforcer, you're the new face. They need a leader. Commander, keep doing... whatever it is you do." Scarlet said. There was irritation in her voice. Frustration. At the same, time, there was knowing they had to adapt. Waller was just ahead of the curve.
    
    A quick replay on Waller showed precisely what he did. The mother ship was providing a barrier on the drop ships that let them place up to three platforms at a time safely. Waller aimed both of his large artillery canons at the barrier precisely as platforms were coming out of it. Not only did he destroy the platform, but he created an opening in the barrier they he could slip through. Not that he went in unprepared. His original dark red armor was augmented with several additions from one of the supply trucks. A large gun mounted in his shoulder, larger thrusters, more armor overall, two guns located beneath his arms attached to platforms from his back. The man was prepared for war.
    
    Lo and behold, he made it in. By the time Scarlet was explaining why they even needed in one of the drop ships, Waller had used a concentrated beam from his shoulder mounted rifle to cut a hole in the outer layer of the drop ship. He boarded it, obviously, answered Scarlet, but was almost immediately swarmed. This was when we got to see the man that was Joseph fucking Waller. Waller ditched his heavier armor and larger thruster due to the weight. He darted in and out of the narrow halls, blasting down robotic guards with reflexes on par with the Enforcers. All the while, he tossed drones to scout the ship and even implant themselves into control panels.
    
    Waller was fighting a one-man war. The drop ship was not taken back to the mother ship. Instead, it was put in stasis. Much like a body trying to fight an infection, he was sealed off so that larger reinforcements could deal with Waller. His drones did their job, however, in locating the central control point of the ship. Unfortunately, this was a Braniac ship. There was no user interface and Waller was no hacker. Instead, he did what he did best: improvise. Waller planted several sound semi-spheres around the central computer as he blasted down waves of Braniac Bots. He was vastly out numbered from every angle and new bots were being released. Not bots, actually. Replicas of Braniac himself.
    
    While the others were defending the civilians below, Waller was up against a wave of Braniac Guards and a replica of the insane android built to withstand a brawl with Superman. Waller was down to defending three hallways and even then he was only doing so by mounting his shoulder mounted rifle at the top of a hallway as a turret. His armor was set to an autonomous mode, meaning he was in nothing but an elastic undergarment used for the suits as he defended the halls. His turret soon fell. The armies of Braniac soon encroached. Waller had nothing left, just one gun, no armor and potentially one of this most idiotic plans he had came up with yet.
    
    Then he heard it. The shrill beep of his semispheres. He ran to the center control panel before the nearing guards or Braniac replica could reach him. His drones were destroyed. His turret blasted apart. His armor ripped to pieces. He could hear the marching of the guards before the end.
    
    Not his end, though. No. Waller ran through several buttons on a wrist mounted computer, not unlike the ones used in the Watchtower. In just a second, each of the semispheres connected to each other, even slicing directly through guard androids, before creating an awkward ovular shape around the central computer. Then, it was gone. A huge hole missing from the ship, which was now plummeting. Just a second later, Waller and the computer core appeared near some of the black platforms he set up initially. Waller was half-nude in elastic garments holding a gun and singed, but he did far more than anyone expected. He came back with an intact computer from a drop ship.
    
    Scarlet rushed over to him and grabbed him by the hair of his head. "What the fuck, Joseph? Is this that Zeta tech you jacked?"
    
    "Yeah, and this is a stolen Braniac computer."
    
    28 minutes. That was the duration of the Vanguard simulation. A total of fourteen platforms were eliminated, nine-hundred and seventeen Braniac Bots were destroyed and an estimated eighteen thousand lives were saved. These statics read across the screens.
    
    [On to Page 4.]
    
  • The lights let up, illuminating the room slightly. What was left were the statistics displayed from the last battle. Then, a comparison of the two:
    
    

    42 minutes | 39 platforms | 852 Braniac Bots | ET 27,000 civilian lives
    
    vs
    
    28 minutes | 14 platforms | 917 Braniac Bots | ET 19,000 civilian lives saved​

    
    Agent Q was grinning the lights came up. There was a brief second of a more serious side to her. Her eyes had a certain focus. A specific blaze in them that was the complete contrary to the odd jubilee she was debuting earlier. Agent Johannes was as stoic as ever. Both were looking around at the new Titans, wondering how they would react to this clip.
    
    
    
    
    
    Fin.

  
  
  
  
  
• Titan Commander​

  

  Tim Drake​
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Location Titans Tower, Memorial Hall
  Tags One Mean Ghost Life. Seraph Darkfire
  

  "That happens to be a good point," Tim said, following their conversation. "The Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in 1912--long before the dawn of the internet--and somehow nude paintings still washed ashore to be put on display," Tim explained, adding a little extra detail to their conversation.
  
  "Once you let the genie out of the bottle, there's no putting it back," Tim even gave an old to his few words of wisdom.
  
  With the air more settled and the members of this conversation a little more docile than just a moment ago, Tim went on with his explanation. "You butted heads with both Agents I had placed here, so I'm going to take the time to tell you that Hyperion won't be returning and Agent Love is now paired with another Agent for the physical and combat training exclusively. I found she lacked the... communication skills to be a direct instructor. You see, we will train you to fight. Will train to use your surroundings. Watch your environment. We'll train you to work on any team we put you on. We'll train you to save lives. That's all true. What Love failed to tell you is that we will also support you advancing your education into any field you want. Or, that you'll be taught how to operate with autonomy--as in, alone," Tim further explained to Dante, but more so to everyone around.
  
  "Imagine yourselves as a militia. You can choose to finish your training here, work a while, then go back to being a civilian. The only time we would call on you then is in a true emergency. Take Alcatraz, for instance. It is a well-known fact that had the heroes been trained better that day, far fewer innocent lives would have been lost. Hundreds were called, hundreds answered, but what did it matter if they had no idea how to work together?" Tim asked, a rhetorical question by his tone.
  
  "Or, you can choose to stay on active duty. Remain a hero. Join the League. Once you finish training here or reach some certain point, you may choose whichever you want. I believe Waller is working on an arrangement wherein after two years of training with the Titans, the United States government will agree to pay for four years of post-secondary education or a technical school of your choosing. When that day comes, the choice will be yours. I made sure of it," Tim explained to them.
  
  He stepped forward, nearing all of them before he went on the final leg of his explanation. "Who we become is the culmination of our choices. Instead of outright forcing any of you to do anything, I believe it is important to provide you the opportunities to make the right choices in becoming a better version of yourself. The first choice you all made was to join the Titans. It will also be your choice if you truly become one," he told them all with absolutely no lack of gravitas in his voice.
  

  
  
  

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Alexander Alfaise
Location: Titan Towers, Memorial Hall
Tags: One Mean Ghost Life. Sir Les Paul

Alex laughed softly when Tessa mentioned painting her "Well...I am not really about painting people, I'm more geared towards painting on them" he grinned "Much more hands on; especially with women".

He turned his eyes to Dante "I would never allow such a thing to happen!" he said looking offended, though his eyes flickered with amusement "Why should I share something I can enjoy with anyone else?" though he was joking, he was also mostly serious. He'd never betray a woman's trust like that. It went against his artist's code.

Hearing the mention of the Titanic, he looked at the Commander "It has always been my opinion that art wishes to be shown to the world and will always find a way" he spoke genuinely. He'd always found it hard to joke about artistic expression, especially when the opposite party brought up something interesting.

Then the conversation segued back into serious territory. Alex actually found it impressive how Tim moved the conversation along so easily. He'd always been proud of his ability to control a situation 'Guess I've really stepped into the next level' Alex thought. He'd been dealing with thugs and thieves in the past, but now he was dealing with a smarter, stronger group of people.

His fingers twitched at the mention of having his education paid for. It'd never been a concern before, for him or his father. However, his mother was a different subject. She'd always wanted better for him and often mentioned saving up money to send him to school. If he were to be honest, Art school had always seemed interesting to him.

School aside, it was nice to know that if he decided to leave this all behind he wasn't going to be sent off to prison. Of course, he took this all with a grain of salt. Just because they acted in the role of the "Good Guys" didn't mean that they wouldn't lie to get what they wanted, he knew that act well enough.

As Tim spoke of making choices, Alex found himself focusing on one particular phrase "The right choice..." he mumbled to himself. He didn't really know what that meant. The more he learned about the world, the less he understood what the "right choice" was. He'd once thought that helping his father was the right choice, but now...

Well, maybe going through all of this Titan training would give him more information to make the choices he needed to make.

 

[sitanomoto]

Rebecca Drake, Blackbird
Location: Titans Tower, Conference room.
Tags: Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper @ThatGuyWithSouvlaki BainOfBridges @Epiphany ShadowBroker

Rebecca eyed Agent Q. She didn't know why, but something about this woman seemed unsettling. Maybe it was the makeup. Maybe it was the countless weapons she carried (was that a flipping Bowie knife?!? WHY?) Maybe it was the specific disregard for Johannes' authority. Maybe it was the layers of too much makeup that made her look like a life size porcelain doll. Whatever it was, Becky didn't like it, and it showed. Her expression stayed completely neutral, of course, save for a nearly undetectable curl of her upper lip, but her eyes completely betrayed her. They were bright with vehement disgust.

"Play the damn clip."

Becky watched the clip with intrigue. While the TitanGuard worked in perfect harmony with no hitches until when all five of them were destroyed, the real team, the human one, the one with her Father, had not only successfully completed the mission (with a little bickering, but that was expected. They were human, after all) but they had grabbed Zeta tech and a friggin' computer from one of the drop ships.
Becky's eyes brightened but she still stayed rather reserved and calm. This was what they hoped she and the rest of the team would become.

 

[One Mean Ghost]

​

Hero Points: 0

Codename: SpookRank: Tier 3Cards: NoneLocation: Titan's Tower - Near the Statues

Tags: Sir Les Paul
Life. Seraph Darkfire

"Who we become is the culmination of our choices. Instead of outright forcing any of you to do anything, I believe it is important to provide you the opportunities to make the right choices in becoming a better version of yourself."

Dante couldn't help but snort at that remark. Admittedly, he was intrigued by the possibility of having college paid for. Well, maybe it wasn't so much he was intrigued so much as he could already hear his sister reaming him up one side and down the other if he pissed away that kind of opportunity when it was almost literally dropped on his lap.

Even still, the fact Tim said they had a choice in things seemed like a joke from where Dante stood. What choice did he have when Agent Love shot him in the chest with a limiter? Hell, what choice did he even have in his name? The named he'd been given while working as a Vigilante had been taken away and replaced with what amounted to little better than a joke. What choice had he in that?

The thing was, Tim was saying everything right. He was bringing up all the right points and making all the right statements. However, as the old adage goes, 'once bitten, twice shy'. As promising as Tim's words sounded, all they were was exactly that: words. He was willing to give Tim a chance to back up his claims, but any promises made were, no doubt, going to be taken with a grain of salt by the ghost-child for awhile.

Even now, his thinly veiled defensive posture remained.

He heard a faint murmur next to him. It seemed the boy next to him was caught on a particular phrase. Seemed he was having a bit of internal conflict. Oh, his sister would have a field day talking that out with him, getting inside his head and seeing what made him tick.... No doubt she'd be able to skillfully have a discourse with him about the subject and resolve his issue in no time.

"Don't stress it too much. No one makes the right choice every time." Dante remarked, his eyes, for the first time, flicking off Tim to settle on the one next to him.

"Fact is, everyone fucks up and makes the wrong choice at some point. Some of us do it more often than others... What defines you is how you respond when you make those mistakes." It wasn't his own words. No, that was Master Sergeant Ricardo de la Cruz, Dante's older brother talking. He couldn't remember what had spawned that particular conversation, but it had happened some time after Dante had taken up the title of Deadman. For whatever reason, he'd admitted to his brother to worrying about screwing up. He'd messed up his first mission, but that had only been his skin on the line. What if he messed up when someone else's life was on the line?

Shit, he knew damn good and well his brother wasn't going to sugar coat his answer. He hadn't expected the story he had gotten to accompany those words...

Ricardo told Dante about his first deployment. For reasons unknown to Dante before then, Ricardo never talked about that particular deployment. It was then that Ricardo admitted that he'd gotten two members of his squad killed because of a mistake he had made. Every day, he had to live with the fact they were dead because he screwed up.

That was the first and only time Dante ever saw his brother cry, and this was years after the fact.

From then on, Dante began to look at every mistake as a learning experience. Every time he failed, he began to analyze everything he did wrong so that the same mistake would never be repeated. To be honest, Dante didn't know if those words would help the guy next to him like it had him.

Maybe, if Dante was being honest, he was saying it just as much for himself as he was for the one next to him.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Location: Titan Tower; 5F,
Tags: ShadowBroker Epiphany sitanomoto BainOfBridges ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Sir Les Paul

Alphus tried not to blink. He'd heard so much about Waller and knew so little. Now he was being introduced to five other individuals that not only showed the team's dynamic, skills, and ability to communicate in tense situations but also showed him how truly amazing they really were not just on the battlefield but in their planning, procedure and approach to the obstacles, altercations, and changes each shift in the drawn out battle brought.

An eye twitched and a burning sensation began to fill his slowly rheumy eyes. Alphus blinked, then continued watching the battle. His face maintained neutral, his eyes burned with interest, admiration, and an intense desire to one day be on the same level. To be just as skilled.

When it ended, Alphus said nothing. His eyes remained fixed on the statistics. Glued to them like a child glued to candy that was just out of their reach. The number of lives saved. The accuracy, the efficiency. He wanted to do that one day. To be of genuine use. The lights turned on and he was still staring at those statistics, still recalling everything he had just seen.

"Wow", was all he could mumble. What else was there to say? Words couldn't describe how amazed he was by what Waller and his subordinates had just showed him. He stayed enamored, saying nothing more, eyes still on the screen.

 

[Epiphany]

Location: Titan Tower 5F, C. Room A
Tags: Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper ShadowBroker sitanomoto BainOfBridges ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

The Amazon watched the clip with little expression. Her outwardly projected serenity faded somewhat, reduced by the pace of the recorded battle into solemnity. Then stone. By the end, she shook her head slightly. Scyleia glanced about the room, taking in the reactions of her colleagues.

Then she turned to face the two agents once more. "An intimidating display, Agents. I'm only too conscious of how far I am from that exalted display of battle. If your training program can close that gap, I'm eager to learn."

Scyleia's tone remained professional but the Amazon harbored grave doubts within. She had seen battle in her day, and her cumulative time spent training and sparring quite possibly exceeded the lifespan of any one of her team mates. Maybe all of them. And yet she knew, even without the PDDs, she had never fought at such a level before. Had genuinely no idea how to close that gap. It seemed wildly unlikely that these mortals had not only mastered the skills of battle but exceeded Amazonian grasp so thoroughly. But if there was a chance to gain their warrior arts, this was her opportunity.

Instead of voicing any of her skepticism, she simply asked "When do we start?" Shifting her gaze to Agent Q, Scyliea added, "Perhaps this Agent is looking for a volunteer to test? I'm willing to be first."

 

[BainOfBridges]

Location: Titans Tower
Tags: Sir Les Paul Epiphany The Regal Rper ShadowBroker sitanomoto ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

The footage was quite the sight for Steve. He'd never quite seen anything like it. The young man had never bore witness to a proper superhero's brawl in person before, only through poor quality footage on the news or other back channels. So the sheer awe on his face returned rather quickly, dispelling any sense of normality that had developed since they departed from the statues. Both sections of the footage were staggering enough to elicit a similar response from him, but the second far more so. The nerves they brought with it only settled once the clips ended. Was this what they were supposed to amount to? He'd be in this tower for a decade before he could get any close.

The thing that stuck out most to him was the commander, 'The Wall' as the clip had dubbed. The thing that first registered as it all came to an end was not any feat of superhuman capability or martial prowess. It was his power of speech. Those were simple, average people who'd been rallied by the commander. People who had no chance against the Brainiac Bots, simply normal. Yet they'd been inspired to help in whatever way they could, rallied and coordinated by a single man. As a man who studied language, the art of communication; it was breathtaking.

Steve remembered to blink and rubbed his eyes as well, his focus returning to him as he looked back up to the agents. Ah yes, Q. Or agent Q? Whatever, Steve was glad he'd had his attention elsewhere; she was a rather confusing sight. He knew the costumes of superheroes were often... strange, glamorous and even sensual. But her outfit couldn't be remotely practical. The make up was a little strange as well. No less the casual giggle she'd given before commenting on someone almost dying in the footage they'd just watched.

He breathed and internal sigh of relief as the amazon volunteered herself to go first. If he himself were first to go through the physical tests, Steve had an inclination he might set the bar rather low.

 

[ShadowBroker]

Location: Titan Tower; 5F,
Tags: The Regal Rper Epiphany sitanomoto BainOfBridges ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Sir Les Paul

For a moment, Huge tilted his head as he gasped in admiration to the talking doll, wondering if she was, actually walking-talking doll. But it was not admiration to the individual the correct expression to describe his eye focus on her, rather admiration to what cosmetic can accomplish now days. It was nothing he could had seen at Bludhaven. After registering her face, ignoring her babbling words, he also saw the guns on her and the amount of ammunition too, but the guns more specifically. He knew how to control his fear and trauma, he also understood how it works and how it can twist his mind; but nothing prepares you entirely. The guns she wears, so physically exposed to the eye remained like a background noise on his head, crawling through his spine and choking his neck.

He needed a diversion and the clip he had to watch came almost in perfect synchronization with his own lost of control. His left began to play with his own fingers nervously, still concerned the weapons he just saw so perfectly placed for his eyes to witness. Probably Huge saw others weapons around the Agents or anyone else - but what generated such a rash change on his personality came from what he was not expecting; so focus on the odd make-up and presentation of Agent Q and to be taken away by the weapons themselves.

Despite - Huge kept it as cool as possible, his eyes moving from the clip to the Agent Q from time to time, not capable to avoid it. He was watching the video and understood the great task at hand - the cost it took and the need for organization to pursue such a complicate task; yet he expressed no admiration, dislike, enjoyment or inspiration for he was experiencing right now consumed him.

When the lights came on, his eyes stared down the ground shaking slightly as he understood he had to look back at her, or the other Agent. Some already began to react impressed by the events occurred on the video itself. Huge almost felt ashamed he did not give it the correct amount of attention. Though little mattered as someone began to eagerly volunteer to move on with the introductions, right into the test.

 

[Life.]

Tessa Varns

Beastie
Location: Titan Towers, Memorial Hall
Tags: Sir Les Paul Seraph Darkfire One Mean Ghost

Tessa kept a slight smirk on her face as she listened in onto the small banter between the boys from her quote, even Tim Drake inserted in a comment of his own on the source of content matter. "Hands on you say," she turned her attention quickly over to the artist, "I may have to take you up on that offer one of these days." A shine of amusement was certainly present as Tessa added a wink to her teasing remark.

And just as quickly as the mood was settled, Tim Drake shifted gears back to the serious content. If there was one thing that stuck in Tessa's head was that much training was going to be involved. This excited the girl. She wasn't skilled enough at anything in her life, so if there was one thing she wanted to work on was her superhuman abilities.

The next set of statements that Tim Drake spoke made training for the Titans even more enticing. Post-secondary education...technical school... These were plans that Tessa had never considered. She was always preoccupied with worrying about the present, especially before when it was only her and her mom in the home (which was around the time her uncle fell into the coma). There was always something to worry about when it was the two of them; like, what bills were needing to be paid, what was dinner going to be, who was going to fix the plumbing, etc. Things became easier once the League stepped in to help the Varns, but it became a habit for Tessa to worry about the present. Now that she was joining the Titans, the situation for her was certainly picking up which means more time to think about the future. But what did Tessa want to do?

Become a better version of myself...

That was something Tessa certainly wanted to achieve, but the idea of "right" and "wrong" choices was perplexing her. From her past the line between "right" and "wrong" became blurred once her uncle stepped onto drug territory. Many defined his actions as "wrong" even though he was trying to do the "right" thing. What was wrong with her uncle finding some job that provided for them? She released a small sigh as she thought about it, but the words that left Dante's mouth made sense to her. "What defines you is how you respond...hm. That makes sense," Tessa whispered, saying the words to herself more than to the others in the room.