Knights - Fallout (IC)

[angrydurf]

"Actually," Ace spoke up in response, "that is exactyl the Crux of hte matter." Ace was chronologically loder than anyone in this room and absolutely so for anyone here but Scarab. More than that he had spent that time steeped in the ways of heroes.

He stood to address the group as a whole, "You have a choice to make each and every one of you, To be a team or to be a vague collective of loners with no real ties." His gaze flowed over the entire room as he spoke, "If you preffer the later this conversation can end here, Dark Star can go forth and not feel responsible for any of your actions and none of you need feel responsible for his."

This was a cruicial time for the Knights, a time for them to come together and be a team or a time to acknowledge the Kingst were a good name and abborted ideal. Ace paused briefly, "If you choose to be a team all of these secrets have to end here. Trust between all of the team is key if you are to succeed and thrive together, if you can not trust your teammates and fellows then they can't trust you its a two way street." He looked once more to each face masked or exposed and laid it out simply, "There is no shame in saying you can't be part of that but if you want to be part of something more than yourself you need to let go of ego and learn to trust in eachother, otherwise the Knights of Freedom are nothing."

[Avenger Assembled]

Avenger listened for a few seconds as Ace talked, but when the old man began pontificating on how the Knights ought to do things, he hmmed and looked around amongst the others as Danger continued speaking. Under the cover of the other hero's monologue, Avenger picked up the little Scarab-engraved notepad on the table before him, wrote a note, and passed it to Phantom. Written too small for anyone else to read, it said, "Taylor: if no one says something useful soon, shall we go? Can show you sights of the Lair."

[alderwitch]

Phantom's attention was diverted from Ace's speech as a note slipped into her lap. After glancing at it, her lips compressed into a tight line that could have been mistaken for irritation. To the few who actually knew Taylor without her mask, she was desperately trying not to laugh. While she ducked her head down so that her hood concealed her face until she was certain her emotion wouldn't show, Phantom let the note dissapear from between her fingertips with a flick of her wrist.

Once she was certain she had her expression remote again save for a faint smile, she lifted her face to give Ace the rest of her attention even as she gave Avenger a small nod.

[N/A]

"ENOUGH!" The walls shook as The Scarab rose to her feet. Telekinesis is always good for dramatic effect. "These petty rivalries that have sprung up among you need to end. Accept each other for who and what you are, agree to disagree, and move on with your lives. This acrimony will hobble us far worse than any outside enemy ever could. When comrades cannot settle their differences off the battlefield, they get each other killed on it."

"We either stand together, or swing apart. A good friend of mine said that two-hundred years ago, and it is as true now as it was then. We are all independent types who enjoy a certain amount of autonomy. A confederacy, in the truest sense of the word. We come together for a common good. We have proven, time and time again, that pooling our information, our resources, and our labors allows us to accomplish far greater things than any of us could on our own. That has not changed. However, we have neglected the second reason for our mutual association, at great cost. But it was not we who paid that price, but the innocent people who died in that explosion."

"We cannot forget that we also come together because none of us are infallible. From time to time, we all make mistakes, and we all need help. And should personal choice or the machinations of others turn a friend into an enemy, the rest of us need to know how to take her or him down. This is not a pleasant reality, but it is one we need to plan for nonetheless. And while a certain amount of autonomy is important, some secrets will fester and rot us from the inside, defeating us with the same ease and certainty as the aforementioned infighting."

"He will not attempt to justify himself to you, so I will speak for him. Malice set the stage for the explosion, but Arrowhawk triggered it. He infiltrated Malice's stronghold, found his weapons cache, and destroyed it. He did not realize the devastation he would cause. He should have planned better. He should have withdrawn and regrouped. He should have asked for help. But he did not have a reliable way to contact any of us, and he did not feel as though he could rely upon us. Part of the blame is his, for his alternately prudent and childish desire to remain at the fringe of our confederacy. And part of the fault lies with me, for not extending the hand of trust and friendship sooner. Had I not made him feel so alone, this whole tragedy might have been averted."

"DarkStar wants to resign because he is tormented by the fact that I was, and still am, willing to let Malice take the fall for the deaths of those innocent bystanders in the explosion. He does not seem to realize that Malice put their lives in danger by stockpiling dangerous ordnance so close to them without their knowledge or consent. But frankly, after the atrocities Malice has committed, I do not see the problem with laying one more at his feet. Especially not when he is partially responsible. I also do not think that Arrowhawk should be turned over to the civilian authorities. He has committed a great wrong, yes. But it is a mistake that will haunt and torment him for the rest of his days. As it should. It is terrible that someone had to die to teach him this lesson, but it is not a lesson he will forget. And he can do far more good in the long run by continuing to fight the good fight with us than he could in a prison cell."

She turned to each of the assembled Knights in turn, even the ones who were not physically present. "I have indulged you all for long enough. The bets are placed, and I call. John Fraser, Jack Faretti, Taylor Chun, Derrick Lumins, Lynn Epstein, Wesley Knight, Moira Morley, Viktor Archeville, Ace Danger." She looked down at the table for a moment. "Elena Guerrero. Alexander Rhodes. Prince Heru-Ra of Egypt. Say the word, and I'll erase everyone's memory of your name. And your memory of everyone else's. And any memory you have of this place. From here on out, you're all in, or you leave the table."

[Ecalsneerg]

Heh. Doesn't matter much. No fixed address and a back-up identity back at home. Arrowhawk slid his hand back under his cape in case anyone objected violently. "Well, I told you my identity to begin with, so I may as well stay for the long haul," he considered carefully, "Besides, it's not like my civilian identity is important enough to matter." There may be objections to my pointedly ignoring the explosion issue, but they're not the ones who have to live with the guilt, so what do I care?

[Cyroa]

Dark Star stood, floating silently as the others and then finally Scarab spoke. He agreed with some of what she said of course but not others. And the reason for this meeting was still present.

"I couldn't really say anything. It wasn't my secret to share," he said quietly. He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I have been honored to be of assistance and companion to everyone here. I can't say I've been the most flexible of members but I do try my best. I'm still honored to to know all of you and would not wish to give up the friendships and memories made. This group has done great deeds and will continue to do so."

"I don't agree with the idea that we need to plan to injure our comrades. I have faith in all of you." Such actions were beyond him. It would have never occurred to him, even for a moment, that they should plan for each other to go evil. "But that is neither here nor there. My intent to leave this company is more of a formal issue, not an intent to force people to change to my beliefs. I am fully aware of Malice's crimes. I know full well that the base was his. That is still no reason to blame the man for the incident. He didn't do it. It is that simple. And attempting to blame someone for something they did not do, regardless of their previous crimes, is wrong. It's a lie and not even a small one. I couldn't stand by while the truth was buried and killed so I intervened. I never discussed turning Arrowhawk over. Mistakes, sad as they are, happen to us all. The attempt to blame Malice for that whole incident; that," he said, leaving out that Arrowhawk by his owns words didn't feel guilt or remorse nor would it haunt the man, "is my point. I can't stand by why such compromises are made. I can understand that most of you probably could make such a choice easily. I can't and won't. Not now, not ever. As symbols for what is right and good in the world, I'm not willing to compromise and tarnish people's faith."

He paused. "And rather than cause strife among the group by refusing to bend and interfering, I choose to leave with friendships intact."

[Avenger Assembled]

Those near Avenger saw his body go absolutely, perfectly still as Elena finished speaking. He looked at Taylor for a moment as Arrowhawk and Dark Star finished speaking. When there was a pause in the room, he rose to his feet, the sudden movement catching everyone's attention...and was gone. When he reappeared, a bare second later, the bare-faced Jack Faretti was on his feet and standing in the middle of the room. For those who hadn't seen the transition between Avenger and Jack, it was almost shocking to see the shift from the grunting, monosyllabic vigilante to the tall, imperious Jack Faretti.

He threw his mask on the ground at Elena's feet. "For the first time since I've known you," he said, his eyes first on Elena, and then sweeping across the room to encompass everyone, "I'm disappointed in you. All of you." He began to pace, his movements all quick, barely controlled energy. "When I was four years old, my family packed me up into our little station wagon and we drove two hours on the interstate to see the Centurion visiting Freedom City. I don't even know why he was there; it was in the middle of the Moore Act so he must have been a criminal just for being there." He walked back and forth, meeting the gaze of everyone unflinchingly. "I didn't understand why we were there at the time, we never got close enough to even see the man except through those little tourist binoculars. It was right here, actually, right up in the observation deck of the Pyramid Plaza." He made a gesture at the distant sky.

"You know what my father told me, when I asked him? He told me it was important to see superheroes in their element. That they weren't just characters in comic books or in cartoons, but that they were real people. That if I wanted to see one, all I had to do...was LOOK UP!" His fist stabbed again at the ceiling. "When I became a superhero, I wanted that for myself. I wanted to be more than the man I was, more than what I'd become." He looked from Elena, to Taylor, to Dark Star; all the people in the room who knew his secret. "So you can imagine how I feel when I find us, my so-called friends, my so-called fellow heroes, hiding in an underground room posturing about how moral we are, putting on blatant display that the only thing more boundless than our respective powers is our turgid egos." He looked Elena right in the face. "Those of you who know me will understand why I find this so familiar! And so contemptible."

"Let's deflate the arrogance now." He pointed at Elena. "You are a child who wears a dead man's clothes and lives in a dead man's house, so damned frightened of the world above that you'd rather violate your friends than trust them with your secrets. That's supposed to be me doing that, Elena. You're not the one we're supposed to be afraid of! And as for the rest of you?" He smashed one fist into another, then pointed at Ace Danger. "You are a presumptuous bastard still living on the name your father gave you, trading on old glories and old friends rather than doing anything with your life. This is how you spend your immortality?"

Not finished, Jack moved on, first from the woman who'd been his closest ally and the man he disliked the most to all the rest. He pointed at Taylor. "You are a dimensional guardian who fights gods for a living with such little confidence in your mission you can't even tell your FAMILY what you do!" He pointed at Dr. Archeville, his eyes narrowing. "You're one of the ten smartest men on Earth, Viktor Archeville. You could speak without sounding like some biergarden attendant if you wanted to." He looked at Arrowhawk. "You blew up a mad arms dealer's house in a crowded neighborhood and were surprised when people DIED? What did you think was going to happen?!" He looked Dark Star in the face and said, "You're not really a man anymore, are you, Derrick? Sure you've got your girlfriend and your life in the flesh these days, but can you really tell me you feel anything in common with Grimalkin? With me?" He looked down at his own hands, finally, as the subject of himself finally came up. It was the worst of all. My hands are covered in blood! "And me. Look at me. God, just look at me!"

[alderwitch]

The clatter of Phantom's chair getting knocked back was lost in the crackle of lightning that sizzled accross the room and caught Jack square in the chest. The blast was enough to lift him off his feet and send him to smack against the opposite wall.

"This isn't about you, Jack." Taylor hissed as she dismissed her costume without a thought, for once looking no less dangerous in jeans that she did with the cloak and cowl. With her hands fisted at her sides and a black scowl on her face she spat out, "I have had enough of being threatened and I have had enough of being insulted. All anyone has managed to do is prove Dark Star right. Either you trust the people on this team, or you don't. No demanding their secrets, or throwing the ones you know in their faces. This isn't about trusting each other, it's about trusting your own damn judgement. Either you do, or you don't. Period."

[N/A]

"And you're a vampire. The self-styled 'King of The Vampires,' to be specific. You decided to play the undead and the capes against each other, in a desperate gambit to minimize the loss of life on both sides. And we helped you. You made the decision to guide and redirect those bloodsucking abominations instead of just slaughtering them and being done with it. A decision that was ethically questionable at best. But we backed you one-hundred percent. Compared to that, letting Malice take the fall for one more crime among the legions he's committed is a drop of rain in the ocean."

"If anything, Jack, I'm more like an old man wearing a young woman's clothes, though I've long since transcended such ideas. Your assessment of my situation betrays your complete lack of understanding of my very nature. You're not the only one who's suddenly disappointed. I truly thought you knew me better than that."

"You rail against us because we don't live up to the standards you've set for us in your mind, based on stories you heard about heroes long since dead and gone. A low blow, Jack. To you, he was just that - a character in stories. HE WAS MY FRIEND. My dear, dear friend. And I am beyond sick and tired of people like you dredging up his corpse every time you want to make another hero feel bad about themselves. I was helping him save the world before your were born. Do you even know what it's like to have a friend for twenty years? How dare you try to use him against me?!"

"And how dare you lecture me about lacking trust? I am the one who as extended my hand EVERY STEP OF THE WAY while you just hid in the shadows glaring at each other. I am the one who opened my home to you, who tried to forge an actual team out of all these disparate elements while you just kept everyone at arms length."

"You chastise and admonish us because we don't live up to your standards. Standards you don't hold yourself to. Somehow, in Jack Faretti's mind, he is exempt. It is the responsibility of EVERY OTHER HERO IN THE CITY to set an example for YOU to live by. Grow up and take some responsibility for yourself."

"And don't throw any stones through the walls of your glass house. Arrowhawk planned poorly and acted impulsively while trying to apprehend a terrorist, and he accidentally killed innocent bystanders in the crossfire. He never murdered another human being so he could drink the blood gushing out of his throat. I didn't cast you out when I learned the truth about you. I'm not about to abandon him, either."

[Avenger Assembled]

Jack picked himself up off the floor, slowly, popping his neck back and forth. Well, there it is. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to run like Hell, to flee this room and the mortal threats each and every super-being in the room represented. He'd seen this moment coming in his mind a hundred different times, sometimes with different faces, sometimes with different names, but each time ending the same way. And now even Taylor's on the other team. Running isn't very heroic, though, is it? The funny thing was, he reflected, it had been Scarab who'd taught him that. He shook his head. "I expected better from you, Elena. About a lot of things."

[angrydurf]

This was news that actually shocked Ace, which was rare in and of itself, he wasn't so much surprised by Jacks other 'life' as that theses would be heroes had so blithly gone along with it all.

He stood slowly and with dignity and turned to Dark Star, "I appologize, you were in the right from the beginning."

He turned to the rest of the Knights. "There are lines that a Hero does not cross. It was a lesson hard learned and it disgusts me to see that so soon after we lifted ourselves from the morass of fools like Force Ops, and the Nightwatch you all so easily fall into the same pits of self serving expediancies." His voice clearly showed his outrage.

"Arrowhawk you have a chance still even now to do the rigth thing and hope the courts are mercciful of your mistake. Your service should have earned you that much but if you continue to run you are no better than the criminals you claim to hunt." His gaze was heavy on the archer.

His gaze shifted to Scarab, "You should know better. We do not compromise and we do not protect criminals and murderers. You're not lifting them up you're letting them drag you down." His voce was gentler here almost pained.

Then his gaze fell on Jack and he spoke simply his voice hard as Iron, "Leave town Jack, get out while you can. You're good works have earned you that much."

It was just the fall again the hubris the expediancy all of it and Ace wasn't going to stand idly by this time and watch the world burn.

[Cyroa]

The next few moments were simply a torrent of surprises for Dark Star. He blinked several times as he processed what was happening, trying to understand what went wrong with the original intent he had had for this meeting.

Jack’s words were harsh. They attack everyone in the room, without pulling anything. They hurt. Dark Star felt his insides clench up at those words. All those words did was voice his own doubts. He’d been Dark Star for so long. Could he just reset and pretend he was human? Was he simply using Stesha to reconnect with humanity? Did he really have anything in common with humanity anymore?

No. Those words hurt. They struck a cord. But he knew how he felt. He knew who he was. He’d spent enough time self-analyzing, that he wasn’t going to be swayed or begin to doubt who he really was. He couldn’t let doubts about who he was or how he felt in. No more so than usual anyway. Still, Jack’s words hurt Dark Star more than he would care to admit.

Then Taylor threw Jack against the wall. That was unexpected. They were a couple after all. But she was definitely upset at the man. Dark Star was horrible at understanding social situations but even he got that one.

Then Scarab decided to ruin Jack’s secret, destroying the man’s trust most likely. She returned Jack’s words, harsh and cold. If he didn’t know better, Dark Star could have sworn there was anger, distrust and disgust on almost everyone’s faces.

Even Ace, who had years of experience and had lived quite a life, threatened a fellow hero. Dark Star was stunned. What had happened? Where had things taken a turn to crazy land?

“WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH ALL OF YOU?!?!,†he said loudly, almost shouting, dumbfounded. “You are heroes. Guardians and protectors. Saviors. Good people all. Now we’re at each other’s throats? Arguing, insulting and even threatening one another?†He didn’t particularly refer to Taylor’s assult. It wasn’t really much of one considering Jack wasn’t hurt nor was it damaging to her boyfriend. It didn’t make it right though. “Who do you think we are? We are not villains or thugs or criminals. We are friends.†Ok, some people didn’t like each other so much. But Dark Star still liked them all, even if he didn’t agree with them all from time to time. Still, he soldiered on.

“Can anyone here deny the good people in this room have done? Can anyone feel that their anger towards a companion and fellow hero is really justified against all that good? No one here is perfect. No one here is better or strong or tougher than anyone else. No one is guilt free.“ His voice was sad, hurt and confused. But he couldn’t just say nothing and leave. These people had too much potential to simply let it die without truing. They were good; they were just having a bad day it seemed.

“There is still much we can learn from one another, despite our differences. There is still much good that we can do. No one has to like everyone here. But please, civility. Understanding. Patience. Tolerance. I was willing to leave the Knight to stop this very confrontation. To keep people together. Not be broken about by our differences. I didn't want this.â€Â

“Please. Don’t let it end like this. I’m not as skilled in wordplay or convincing people to do things. I just don’t have it in me. But please, don’t throw away what the Knights could be. What they are. Just…don’t. Please.†He put everything he had, he put his heart into those words. He meant them dearly.

[alderwitch]

"He's not a monster, Ace. Look me in the eye and tell me that your hands are clean. Tell me that you've never made a mistake. Lie to me, Ace. Tell me that grace is something that you can only attain once in your life," Taylor said with a defiant tilt of her chin. "We both know that if the world was ever so simple a place, it isn't any longer. We are nothing like Force Ops. You have such grand ideals. Such high hopes. You make the same mistake as Dark Star by refusing to stand example. I strongly suggest that you refrain from making a second mistake by acting before you think. I can assure you, you will regret it."

She slowly crossed the room to Jack. Taylor was still pissed, and oh they were going to have some words later, but she wasn't going to make him stand alone for this. "I think, Dark Star, that you've answered your own question best. We are heroes. There is much we can learn from each other. There is much that we must learn from each other. In your own words,I think you'll find whatever you came here today looking for."

Taylor looked up at Jack before she stopped and took up a place at his side, hands still fisted and examined the room, "This doesn't have to be the end."

[Ecalsneerg]

Arrowhawk cocked his head to one side as Ace tried to condescend to him, and stood up, the chair flying back. "I think you've missed the point of the running, Mr Danger. You expect me to whine and angst over this? Well, I'm not going to. I'm not moronic enough to think that sitting in a prison cell crying and wallowing in self-pity can in any way begin to make up for this, and in any case it wouldn't hold me. What will even begin to go near trying to make up for this is staying out there, doing what I can and trying to be better than I have been. So don't you dare try to understand how guilty I am, because you don't know me."

He then spun and turned to Scarab. "No. Just no. Avenger's right. Maybe he's a vampire, and shouldn't have hidden that fact, and I will be checking on him. That can be discussed later. But, in your own words, you disliked his plan to try and minimise bloodshed. Instead, you advocated killing every vampire in this city, despite the fact we evidently have the poster boy for vampires not always being evil standing in the room. I accidentally killed two people because I flipped out. You deliberately wanted genocide. Find a cure, find a way to control them. Don't wipe out people for being something they can't help."

Finally, he spun to Dark Star. "I'm sorry I caused all this. I respect your views, even if I dislike them. But, really, this will make or break us. If we can get all these issues out and survive as a team, it'll be for the better. If we don't get it out, the ill-feeling will fester into outright hatred."

[Dr Archeville]

Doktor Archeville was quiet. He silently observed all that went around him, hands neatly folded before him. He noted the outbursts and accusations, the rants and recriminations, and filed it away. On the surface, he seemed a calm, dispassionate observer.

Inside... well, that was another matter entirely.

HA HA HA HA HA! What fools these 'heroes' be!

How... what... how...?

You see? YOU SEE?! This is what always happens! 'Superhero teams' are inherently unstable because 'superheroes' all tend to have such huge egos and strong personalities; clashes are inevitable!

No... NO! We can be better than this! Dark Star is proof!

Proof? Proof of what? Proof that some people will run away with their tail tucked between their legs, rather than boldly face things when they go differently from what they wish? Proof that naivete can last a long, long time, despite frequent exposure to the harsher realities?

No! Proof that decency and nobility can be eternal constants, that there are always those who will serve as lighthouses in the seas of oblivion!

Constant? HA! Stagnant! That which cannot bend must break, and it is clear this weak-minded, star-eyed sap is breaking from this! And if this is the sort of thing that drives him away, then he's a worse fool than I ever thought!

He is not running from his problems! He is simply disassociating himself from us, because we-

do not fit his starry-eyed ideals? News Flash, genius, NO ONE DOES! No one has for the past five decades, and even that's arguable!

Yeah? Did you ever stop to think he keeps his "naivete" for a reason? If he goes down the Slippery Slope, and starts meeting the 'harsh realities' the same way FORCE Ops did, who or what could stop him from just outright slaughtering criminals and turning the city -- if not the entire world -- into a police state?

Because he's a moron, that's why! And he is just one being, he would need help, but if he did slip up that badly, then -- as powerful as he is -- there are several who could take him down!

And if he decides to just destroy the planet?

He'd be stopped. It wouldn't be easy, sure, but he would be stopped. Really, his only two options are to get with the program and 'man up', or get out of the solar system and leave the work to those who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

And what about all the others?

Archeville remained silent.

[Avenger Assembled]

Pleas, lies, deceit, outright insults poured through Jack's mind. In the end, for the first time in what felt like forever, he settled on the truth. He shot a single, grateful look at Taylor before he looked back at the group, unable to stop that instinct of pure self-preservation. "I am what I am," replied Jack to the room at large. "I make no apologies for that. How I choose to live my life isn't anyone else's business." He flexed his big hands, Avenger's leather gloves creaking slightly as he made the movement. "My nature does not determine who I am or how I act." He bent down, carefully, and picked up Avenger's fallen mask. He didn't put it on, instead gazing down at the white face like Hamlet and the skull of Yorick. "Everyone in this room is here because we want to be part of something larger than ourselves. Because we believe that, together, we can be more than the sum of our parts."

[angrydurf]

Ace just looked sad, and tired, the weight of his years came down on him as the others spoke. Shaking his head he responded quietly, "Arrowhawk I don't claim to understand your guilt. What I do understand is the Law and that none of us are above it. I won't turn you in, I won't send the police to hound you, that is not my place but I will advise you that running from your mistakes no matter how golden your intentions never helps. That is something I know better than anyone in this room I promise you."

The ageless hero cast his gaze to his assembled fellow heroes his friends his rivals, all at his and eachothers throats over secrets kept too long and the self rightous indignation born of super hero sized egos. He fixed his gaze on Phantom, "I would advise you do the same Phantom think beyond this moment about what exactly you are defending." he said as his gaze fixed on Avenger.

His voice hardened as he continued, "Avenger is what he is. A hero and a vampire, I've seen stranger in my day. But you all seem to treat what he is like its in the past. It isn't it is a reality of every day, even more with the position you have helped him gain. Can he be saved? Probably, can others? Maybe."

Ace took in the room once more, "Every day he feeds ont eh blood of the living just to continue his existance, every day every vampire under his command does the same. And every day that you do nothing that blood is on all of your hands. Every newly risen monster that tears the throat from some innocent, every thrall wasted in some byzantine plot, and what happens when someone knows too much." He looked back to Jack, "Do you truely accept the responsibility you take on are you willing to put that blood on all of our hands too? Because thats what you do everyday we sit idly by and let it happen."

"I am not going to raise my hand against any of you you have done too much good but I won't be party to setting aside morals for expediancy and self preservation." As his finished he took his seat once more waiting to see if Scarabs threats were idle this time.

[Ecalsneerg]

Arrowhawk hurled off his cowl and threw it in the corner. "Have we met before? Wait, no. You do not know me. And frankly?" He took a few steps forward. "Sit idly by? You're damn near a century old, Ace, and yet... At the risk of sounding arrogant... I could defeat you. And I do look my age, as is evident. All of us show more dedication than the unaging man who spent his years with beauties on his arm. You've been around so long, and accrued so many skills, but what marks have you left for people to remember you for? Maybe we could do more, don't misinterpret me, but you're the last person able to point it out in this room." He took another step towards Ace.

"You're entitled to your opinion, yes. Entitled to condescend to any of us, when you're just as guilty? That just makes you a hypocritical arsehole."

[angrydurf]

Ace simply inclined his head, his indolent posture never shifting but the glittering smile he flashed showed those perfect teeth. Jack, at least, had seen that smile before, and knew it represented Ace at his most dangerous.

"And, what exactly then do you presume to know about me? If you'd like to trade war stories, I'm more than happy to carve some time into my schedual. If this is just a chance to bluster and blow some steam off, please have at." Ace spread his arms wide as he spoke, inviting the hero to take what shots he'd like, "Make me the enemy, if you'd rather. I daresay I can take it. After all, I've died for worse reasons."

Ace's smile fell away like the mask it was, "You'll only be proving my point. I gave you advice from my own experience - experience that I assure I have in spades - if you chose to reject it, so be it - but calling me a coward only makes you look the fool."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star shook his head at the words of those around him. He'd wanted to avoid any chance of this. By telling them he was leaving, he thought it would stop all of this from happening. All this bitterness, anger, hurtfulness, threats and condemnations. Instead, he had caused it.

He wouldn't have wanted to say how much just observing this situation hurt, right down to the depths of his core being. These people were heroes. He knew this. It had been proven time and time again. Yet his actions, trying to do right by them, seemed to spark the worst in them. And now that it had started, it just continued to get worse.

Some said they wanted to make it work, yet no one was. The spiteful words still flowed around the room. Where was the nobility, the goodness that each person housed within them? He knew it was there. He saw that truth in all of them. Yet they didn't seem to remember who they were inside. That they were better than all of this. They had simply lost their way.

While they raged and ranted, insulted and hurt, Dark Star could only hang his head in sadness as the fever built. He'd said his peace and tried his best to make them remember the truth of who they were. It seemed he had failed, depsite his sincerest hopes. It had fallen on deaf ears.

"Is this it then? Is this what heroes do in your minds? Not give chances? Instead there are accusations, insults, threats and cagey words? Are heroes bound to fall to such things in your minds?" He shook his head, still saddened and at loss as how his fellow heroes, his companions and his friends could act this way.

[Avenger Assembled]

Jack looked around the room, judging faces and names, legacies and attitudes. He'd lost the Scarab, maybe for good, and it might be a long time before Dark Star trusted him again. Arrowhawk had taken things much better than he'd expected, Jack's own deeds evidently a distraction from the man's own war on crime. As for Ace, well...come to think of it, things weren't actually any different between the two of them. And as for Taylor? She was with him, even after all that. That was something, at least. Finally, he leaned close to Taylor and whispered four fatal words. "Let's get out of here."

[Ecalsneerg]

Arrowhawk laughed in Ace's face. "'I'm older, so I'm wiser'? Good counterpoint. Very well thought-out. It's a pity I can't find that's rat's arse to give you as a prize." He turned his back on the much older man. "Arrogance left me lying half-dead in a crater I made myself. Forgive me for not having it at my favourite attitude problem."

"The point of this was to reconcile, not suggest incarceration. Noticed the lack of progress, and while I'm as much to blame as everyone else, I'm not going to apologise for getting angry at some old man telling me my attempts to redeem myself personally are immoral."

[N/A]

All the assembled heroes could hear The Scarab's voice in their minds as she slumped down into her chair. Her elbows rested against the table and her face fell into her hands.

No more petty insults. No more petty brawling. Not here. Not in my home.

You are not ready. We are not ready.

When faced with a common enemy, we are a force to be reckoned with. A power that could give the gods themselves pause. But when faced with the greatest and most insidious enemy of all, ourselves, our own flaws and shortcomings, we fall as wheat before the scythe. We fall prey to our own fear. Our wrath. Our pride.

I thought I could bring us together, show everyone that we are not so different from one another. That the whole could indeed be greater than the sum of our parts. But I was wrong. It was too soon. It cannot be forced. Trust and comraderie cannot be forged. They must simply grow...or wither.

I have failed you. And you have failed each other.

We all know what we need in order to act as a failsafe against the others. That is done, and I will not undo it.

My doors will always be open to you all. Each of you has proven yourself in battle. You have all individually earned my trust and admiration at one point in time. You will retain your knowledge of this place, and your access to it. Should any of you require my aid, ask, and I shall provide it.

But there is no "team." There are no "Knights."

For a brief moment, everyone could see the image of a shield splintering to pieces under the force of a great blow. A sword being wedged between two great stones, and bent until the blade snapped in half and the shards fell to the ground like rain.

Maybe someday. When we are ready. If it is not too late.

But for now, I think you should all leave.

[alderwitch]

Taylor slanted a glance at Jack while Arrowhawk talked and silently turned her palm up to his. It was answer enough to his question. Her fingertips closed around Avenger's gloved hand, and she paused to incline her head to the gathering and let Jack say any last words he might have. Enough words had been spoken today. Really, perhaps too many words For those that she would talk to after this, Taylor planned to contact them personally.

Her hand tightned and without fanfare, Taylor teleported them out of the Lair and away from the city. Sand crunched softly under their feet as Taylor deposited them on empty beach. Before Jack could ask she smiled and explained, "Same planet, different time zone. First thing that popped into my head."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star shook his head sadly. "You are wrong on one point or perhaps too harsh. We are ready. Heroes like all of us, they are always capable. Always ready to accept the burden. But while they are willing to be heroes, they aren't willing to put aside old hangup. Old issues. We are all, more or less, human. We fail in our goals. But failure isn't the end. We must constantly strive to do better. To be better." He looked at everyone. "Regardless, if any of you need me, I shall always be there. Nothing has changed. I still believe. In myself, in what we stand for. In all of you."

He gestured, opening a portal to the park at the base of his idol's statue, for any to use. "I wish you all well and hope to see everyone succeeding in their own endeavors. Call if you ever need me for anything," he said as flew out. The portal would close a little while later.