[IC] The Outsiders (DC comics based OC Superhero RP)

[The Patriarch]

Warpath gave a curse as the lex-sec fired off plasma rounds that were super hot and he quickly into evasive action. His reflexes and agility allowed him to avoid most of the plasma, but one of the rounds managed to clip him on the arm and it hurt extremely badly. Adan gave another curse at the fact that these guards were having the shoot first and asking questions later mentality, that probably was how Luther trained them to be. Eventually Luther called off his private security force and Fenrir informed him that they were not part of the League, they were the Outsiders. Warpath wondered how they metahuman community would take to their team when they had more dangerous missions to tackle, if they kept up with having missions end up like this one then they wouldn't be too well received by the general public. Adam was conflicted, if the public found out about him being a part of the team then his reputation as protector of the American people could be compromised. On their way back to the base, Adam saw the damage that Belle had caused, this troubled him a bit. What if they had been in a populated area and she had went off and hurt people? She would need some training if she was going to be on their team. Adam needed to tend to his burn before it became infected or worsened in condition. When they were back at HQ Fenrir spoke them. "Ten minutes to shower and unwind, then we have a debriefing in the meeting room." Adam was glad that they were given the chance to tend to their wounds and he quickly went to his living quarters. He ignored Marcus' drunken words and didn't want to waste his time with the man. Adam saw that Belle would need someone to help her to her room when she seemed to fall asleep and he decided to do it. He picked her up and carried her to her living quarters and set her gently on the bed. He then left and headed for his room. Once there he took out his medical supplies and began to treat his burn. He growled in pain when he cooled the burn and wrapped it in a cloth. The mission had been a mess and three members of the Royal Flush Gang had gotten away, this wasn't a success in Adam's mind. After taking a quick shower Adam decided to blow off his disappointment in the mission by doing pushups, lifting weights and hitting a punching. He found that these things were great for getting rid of his frustration. After he was finished he took out his copy of Paradise Lost and started to read the book. Adam headed for the meeting room, he found the line 'Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven' interesting and he began to make comparisons with Outsiders and the Justice League. People looked up to the league just like how they looked up into the sky at Superman, but their team was down on the ground, nobody looked up to them. The league were like God's angels while the Outsiders were aggressive and darker like the legions of hell, but they weren't evil, but they did have a guy who could turn into a demonic like creature on their team. Adam then thought about how he served the government before he became a member of this team, he wasn't serving anyone here. Maybe this team would offer a little more freedom, but he would still try to be loyal to the law and the government. After the meeting he would contact his father and seek a bit of advise. Once Warpath entered the room

[An Outsider]

Marcus Weston was the first to cross the threshold of the meeting room. Ironic, considering he hadn't even bothered going on the mission. Fenrir didn't need to ask why either, as the smell of alcohol hung heavy over the former Ranger. Perhaps inviting Quantum to the Outsiders was a mistake after all. Batman had certainly said as much when he had seen Mark's name on the list of potential candidates for the team, but the decision was ultimately Fenrir's. The Wolfman had taking Weston on, being no stranger to the redeeming qualities of second chances himself. He still had high hopes for Quantum, though the drinking issue would have to be addressed. The rest of the Outsiders were quick in assembling. Fenrir hit a button under the desk next to his chair. The personal computer monitors in front the chairs folded into the desk surfaces, while the holo-projecter in the center of the table sunk into the floor. "Team. One of our two objectives were completed. We intercepted the Royal Flush Gang and we managed to save Luthor. We did it all without a single casualty." "However we failed to apprehend the gang. King, Ace and Ten managed to escape. Queen probably wont survive the night. Unacceptable collateral damage was visited upon the environs and Luthor's security. Our own cruiser will need extensive repairs." He paused, gauging the reactions on the faces of the Outsiders. He knew there was one person who was more responsible for the failure than the others. Fenrir had been near unconcious for the start of the fight, and had been forced to deal with Belle and the crashing cruiser for the conclusion, so he had missed most of the action, with no real basis on who to judge for what. He couldn't have known that Litheal had frozen in place, or that Tamashi had overplayed his hand to early. Nor could he have witnessed Poltergeist near killing Queen, or Molotov destroying an Exo-Suit with a man inside. No, all he knew was that the Outsiders first outing was a mitigated failure. And when you boiled it down to the basics, that was all because of a lack of good leadership. Facing facts, it was Fenrir himself who had failed the team. Not to say the others didn't have their own portion of the blame to shoulder, but he knew that the buck had to stop with him. That was a hard thing for him to admit to himself, in his private thoughts. It would be a different matter altogether for him to admit it out loud to the team. He was an alpha male, and the Wolf inside him said that was credential enough for him to lead in the wild. Here though, in the world of man, he was self-aware enough to know that just being the strongest wasn't enough to make someone a leader. All those he had followed in the past had made it look so easy. From when Little Red Riding Hood had led the escape attempt that had seen he and several others finally earn their freedom from Granny, to Ditto leading Young Justice to victory time and time against threats that most would call insurmountable. Fenrir's only real experience with leadership, apart from when he had spearheaded the attack that had crippled the Tomorrow Woman's digital communications, was when he and his brother Hellfire had fought their two man war against Grannies machinations. Gabe and Magnus had been a terrific team, the pyromancer and the feral savage complementing each others strengths and reinforcing the others weaknesses. Their partnership on the field of battle had been nigh on wordless, each instinctively knowing what the other was thinking and their place in the plan without needless communications. Looking back though, maybe that was what was crippling Fenrir so now. He had expected the Outsiders to be the same well oiled machine that he and Gabe had been, but he was realizing now that wasn't the case. A team like this needed work. "We need to be better, If we're going to be a team then we need to fight as a team." He said after a long silence. "Starting 6AM tomorrow we will begin group training. Completely mandatory. Anyone skips out, for whatever reason, or not meeting my standards, is off the team." He directed this last comment towards Marcus. "Any comments or complaints, anything about what just happened tonight, or whats to come next, now is the time to make them." No doubt the team would have their misgivings about the mission, just like he did, and he wanted them to air them now instead of grievances stagnating. He waited for the inevitable backlash.

[Lord Wraith]

After Marcus' arrival, Thorn had been the second to the meeting room. Having left the team's base upon arriving back, he had gone to a nearby park, seeking nutrients and the other essentials he needed to survive. While still no taller than four feet in height, he could feel his body slowly turning the new nutrients into new material to use for healing and to regrow. But with no crisis currently on hand, Thorn denied his body the ability to grow in favour of ensuring all injuries were healed. The burning had done a number on him, not only had it charred most of his exterior armor, it had caused some of his interior organics to dry up, becoming more brittle. Now he could feel the moisture in his body again, flowing through water filled vines and revitalizing him as he listened to Fenrir's words. While others may groan and complain at the early wake up call, time had no effect on Thorn. Nor did he have sore muscles or permanent injuries of any kind for that matter. Pain did not manifest like that for him anymore. It was likely he would spend the rest of the evening in or around the training room, simply allowing his body to absorb more nutrients from his pot of soil while the others slept and ate to regain their strength. Hearing Fenrir's mention that now would be the time to comment, looking around awaiting some of the more opinionated members of the team to speak up. Furthermore, Thorn wished to hear from Marcus, have him explain why he hadn't joined the mission. Certainly his abilities would have been helpful against not only the Royal Flush Gang but also against Luthor's security forces. "What kind of training would we be looking at exactly Fenrir?" Thorn's voice rustled out of his mouth like wind blowing through reeds. His speech slow and evenly pace, an empahsis on each syllable. It took most people some time to get accustomed too and certainly wasn't an asset during a debate. Thorn usually reserved his voice and questions for when matters required it the most but he wanted to get the question in before the others started bickering and point accusations about what went wrong during the mission. "Will we be working as one unit, or perhaps dividing us into pairs or teams?" He added, wanting further clarification so as not to waste any more of Fenrir's time than necessary. The Outsider's leader would likely have his hands full with questions in mere seconds.

[Razqua]

Tamashi Screeched in inhuman pain as 3 bullets went through his body. One clipped his wing. Another went through the shoulder. The last one went through his back barely missing his heart. It broke a couple ribs on the way out. His body failed to keep hold of King. He collapsed to his knees. He struggled to reach for his flask. He chugged everything left in the container hoping it would mitigate the pain. Thankfully it helped the pain considerably. It was enough for the any holes in the skin to shut so he wasn't in danger of bleeding to death. The wound in his wing from earlier finished healing and the other wounds healing accelerated considerably but they were still severe. Between the blood and the pain Blood Walker's anger had passed and he was in control again. He was in no condition to continue fighting but thankfully Luthor had called off his men. Tamashi limped over to his sword and retrieved it. He returned it to it's sheath. Tamashi then put his ring back on and returned to his human form. He would now have to explain to the group what they had just witnessed. He had hoped he would be able to get them to trust him more before he revealed he was a demon but there was no helping it now. Tamashi returned with everyone to base. Once he arrived he consumed every bag of blood he had stored there to help his healing and to deal with the pain of his wounds. He would have to make it a priority to buy more from the black market dealer who sold it to him. Tamashi then arrived at the meeting. After Fenrir spoke he felt compelled to reply. He spoke in a somewhat pained voice. as he gripped his chest. "As much as I hate to potentially anger you my current condition is going to make any kind of physical training impossible for at least a few days."

[Dragonbud]

Belle had slept through the meeting, not that she even had been aware that there was a meeting. She awoke with a groan, her entire body aching. She looked up at the ceiling, again wondering how weird it would be if her ceiling had a carpet and the floor had a ceiling fan. She tried to remember what had happened, maybe what had set her off. Belle knew she had changed over into her Beast form, there was no doubt about that. Her aches and pains were similar to the last time she had shifted, and her amnesia was only explained by her powers. With a pained grunt Belle sat up, leaning her back against the wall nearest to the bed to support herself. And then all of a sudden Belle realized the full extent of what she had done. Something had angered her, that she couldn't remember, and she had in turn destroyed the interior of the cruiser. And while she couldn't remember the destruction itself, she had seen the interior of the cruiser. Belle felt horribly guilty. She had unintentionally sabotaged the very first mission of the team.

[MrDidact]

The mission was almost a complete failure. There was massive collateral damage to Lexcorp, a few security guards were killed, Queen and Jack were grievously wounded, the rest of the Royal Flush Gang had escaped, most of the team were injured in some way or another, and Juno had to help haul their crippled cruiser back to base. There had been massive failures in the way the team had communicated and operated with each other, there would likely be some blowback on the metahuman community, and three murderous felons were still at large. They were lucky that none of their own had been killed, no thanks to Belle raging as the Beast. And yet Juno couldn't help but have a small smile on her face the whole way home. She had proven herself capable today, she had never dropped the ball, and if it weren't for her the mission would likely have gone even worse. Oh yes she could use this situation to her advantage. Carefully. Juno followed Fenrir's orders and mused that perhaps she wouldn't have to soon enough. She just had to play her cards right and be a dependable, stable member of the team. Lord knew there were increasingly few of those in the Outsiders. Juno wondered how Molotov felt about killing a man or Jaymi for almost certainly killing Queen. Twilight like many heroes in the business had practiced minimizing fatalities as much as possible. With her training and powerset, there was almost always a softer choice than lethal force. Softer choices yes but sometimes not better ones.... "....no.... please..... no" Juno shook the memory out of her head. She floated into her room and took off her uniform, hung her cape, set down her headdress, and stepped into the showers. Using a light porous barrier, she trapped some of the steam from the hot water and closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth and moisture. It was a moment of peace and calm before she had to step foot again into a violent and dirty world. She cleaned herself but doubted it would help her at all in this city where the pollution seemed to stain the streets. The young woman changed into a t-shirt with the Justice League emblem (a hand-me-down from her mother) and jeans before assembling in the meeting room. Juno buried a disgusted groan as she saw Marcus. He may have possessed some looks and a modicum of charm as well as useful skills and abilities but the man was an ass. An alcoholic ass. While they were fighting for their lives, he had been drinking and trying to pick up women in some sleazy trash-heap. If it were up to her she would either kick him out or trap him in a hotbox field and sweat out the booze from him. But she wasn't team leader. Yet. As much as she hated Bludhaven however she had to admit that the Outsider's HQ was very advanced. Juno took her place at the table and adopted a neutral expression. Juno had been training her whole life to be a hero. More wouldn't kill her and if by some minimal miraculous chance it got through to her teammates (or grievously wounded a few of them), then they'd be that much closer to be a coherent fighting force. Juno cleared her throat, "I'd just like to say that if I have time to study our craft's specifications I can assist with repairs. My training and abilities should make quick work of it if properly directed," After all Juno basically was a living tool-box with her light projection and technical knowledge. "On that note, I believe installing more failsafes and security measures into the craft could avoid todays... difficulties by preventing accidental misuse. Furthermore, working as a team we should be covering each other to make up for our shortcomings. Superpowered conflicts are basically lethal rock-paper-scissors. Our people need to be there for each other when someone's the paper to a villain's scissors. We should also focus on varying our approach. We have a large team we should make use of this. If Jaymi or myself or Marcus had been outside covering the windows we may have prevented King's escape." Juno took a breath, Belle wasn't here but it had to be said, "We have to find a better way to take care of Belle during a mission. Obviously being left behind did not sit well with her. Direct action may be out of the question but if we could move her to support roles depending on the mission, it may work out better." And someone had to go talk to her, to comfort the child. Juno wasn't sure if she'd be very good at it, so hopefully someone else would step up to bat.

[The Patriarch]

Adam listened to Fenrir mention that they had completed one of their objectives, but they had failed in the other objective which was to apprehend all of the Royal Flush Gang and also the collateral damage done to Luther's property and the fact that both Jack and Queen were in critical condition. Even though Adam wasn't responsible for the deaths of the security guards or Jack and Queen's grave wounding, he still felt guilty for not being more of an assistance to the team. Adam was now determined to do better and show that he was an asset to the team. When Fenrir said that they would be training to get better at working as a team and they would be starting early in the morning, Adam smiled a bit. He loved the idea of some team training, it would help develop their ability to work together. "I have a couple of suggestions, firstly I think we need to set up our plans to each team members advantages and disadvantages when going up against a villain. Secondly I think a bit of training for Belle would be good for her and help her control herself so that next time we don't suffer any damage, also I have to agree with Juno on that we should not leave Belle behind and a supportive role on the team could be a good way of keeping from getting into any serious danger" he said to Fenrir as his mind thought up the possibilities of different tactics to use with his team on their next mission. "Also a backup plan should definitely be a must have for the team encase something like tonight happens again. If things do get chaotic then we should still look for ways to exploit our enemies weaknesses and stay organized, like Sun Tzu said in his Art of War 'In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity' we can always use the chaos to our advantage if we stay focused while our enemy is not" Adam said to them, he hoped that his ideas would be received well by the team, he had studied a great amount on warfare and read all of the works about the greatest tactical minds throughout history.

[Lord Wraith]

Before Fenrir had a chance to respond, Thorn turned his head at the sound of Juno's voice. The light manipulator had decided to add in her two cents and Thorn was inclinded to listen. He had rather appreciated all of Juno's hard work supporting the team in the midst of the battle, if ever there was an opportunity for her to lead, he soundly believed she should take it. Juno had proven to have a tactical head on her shoulders, standing far above any of the other team mates in that field, perhaps even above Fenrir himself. "We should have blocked the windows." Thorn interjected. "We had already pulled the foliage through them, it would have been a short extension of our power to completely block them with the trees. It may not have held the King for long, but it would have slowed him enough to allow the team to intervene. I apologize for our short sightedness." He added with a nod towards Juno before returning to silence as he continued to listen. "When Valentine played football in highschool, the coach at any given time hard numerous plays and to switch all we had to hear was a simple two word phrase. One backup plan does not account for all possibilities, we need to be as fluid as coarsing water with all the power of a typhoon. Training should account for this, but when Valentine planned heists before his death he would prepare for any number of outcomes." Thorn added despite finding himself resentful of Adam's words. He had his misgivings about the government dog, and so far the trained soldier looked only able to take orders than give him. All the books in the world wouldn't translate into experience, anyone could sit and quote something they had read but actions spoke louder than words. Adam's actions during the last mission truly spoke a great volume about his character. "On the subject of Belle, we must say that even in a support role we're hesitant to encourage her in the field. She should be out playing with friends not fighting supervillains who will show no restraint in killing her." Thorn spoke, his rustling voice becoming lower. "We support the notion of Belle training with us, learning to be part of the team but at no point do we wish to encourage her being placed in the field. That said, we are not suggesting leaving her in the cruiser either. The base is the safest place for her, if only we had someone to run tactical from the base then she could help out here in the safety of these walls." Now noting that indeed a figure who could watch the battle from the base could indeed be a real asset to the team. "When Belle is older, we have no doubt she'll make a great asset to the team, but we don't feel right encouraging a girl who should still be in elementary school into a warzone."

[An Outsider]

Thorn was the first to 'speak', a surprise to Fenrir as he had imagined one of the more loudly opinionated members would have run their mouth at the first oppurtunity. Not that the Wolfman minded, there was something about the tree-man that put his mind at ease, especially his whisper like voice that held a favorable comparison to a gentle breeze blowing through tree branches in Fenrir's opinion. Much more agreeable than the raspy, breathy, whiny vocalizations of the rest of the team. "The training shall remain secret until the morn Thorn. The less time you have to prepare for this first session the better. I want to see how you all handle the unexpected." Answered Magnus, hoping to convey a firm yet fair attitude. Tomorrow would be his first chance to really see the team in action, and he wanted them all at their worst, all the better to see who had to improve on what. Tamashi demanded his attention next, a pained strain to the demon's voice. His wounds were obviously bothering him, the limited amount of blood he had smuggled onto the base doing little to lessen their sting. Perhaps that would help curb his overconfidence in their next fight with a foe like King. "No excuses Tamashi. Our enemies wont always wait for you to be at your best, and neither will I. You do not make the training you are off the team." The feral meta's iron tone brooked no argument. Fenrir had never been to school or worked like a normal person, he'd never had a sick line from a doctor, or a note that would excuse him from gym if he didn't feel up to it. In his mind you either gave something your all, or you'd better not even bother starting it. If Tamashi wanted to be an Outsider then his wounds wouldn't stop him. If he could breath then he could fight. The Wolfman considered that answer an end to the conversation on how injured one had to be to get out of training, shifting his attention to Twilight. Juno looked less severe out of costume, somehow softer, more human. It was a better look for her, her overbearing arrogance hidden behind a veneer of normalcy. He was almost tempted to think of her as pretty though her sharp mind was still working at full capacity, and Fenrir reminded himself to stay on his toes around her. She was as much a politician as a vigilante. She could school a fox on cunning. "Hmm. I'll put you in contact with Hawkman. Together you can figure out how to upgrade the cruiser." He didn't feel the need to add how happy he was that someone was offering to take responsibility for that death trap away from him, though he supposed he should involve himself in the upgrade process. Carter would probably insist on it, decreeing that it wouldn't do for a former apprentice of Hawkman's to be so hesitant to fly. She then went on to discuss varying their tactics, but Fenrir did little to commit himself to that line of inquiry as he felt that was ground better left covered during the training. He grunted a vague warning when she made her underhand attack against Marcus. Not that Quantum didn't deserve it, just that Fenrir wasn't willing to get into the petty squabbling yet again, and he believed it was just her attempt to sabotage one of her perceived rivals. He did begin to take more notice when she mentioned Belle and her place in the team, though still offered little in the way of his own answers. He had already made up his mind on what to do with the girl. Still, he nodded slowly as if something Juno had said had hit a cord with him, if only to play the role Juno expected of him, that being a clueless beast impressed by her intelligence and insight. Interestingly Warpath retrod much of the same ground that Juno herself had. It seemed the two were more similar than they probably realized. Although Adam's suggestion of having back up plans in place were useful, even if he insisted on hammering that point home with more examples of the famous authors he had read. Fenrir had probably read about ten books in his life, most of them forced upon him by Gabe or Carter. He didn't feel the need to inform the team of the enlightenment one could obtain by perusing the Catechism's of the Order of Paran Katar; Wisdom of the First Wingman, so why did Adam insist on telling them about all his favorite books and the life changing musings to be found within them. "Sun Tzu seems very wise. We will implement his teachings." Responded the Wolfman testily, realizing just how ridiculous he sounded as he said it. Diplomacy came with great difficulty to Fenrir, and it was at moments like these that it was most evident. Thorn spoke up again, also advocating the need for several more backup plans, claiming that he had planned for many outcomes in each of his heists when he was still a criminal. "All that planning and Valentine still died." Fenrir pointed out, "We can plan and plan and plan, but we cannot account for everything. Too much planning and your liable to become constricted by all that forethought, choked by your own preparations. Training is better. Experience better yet. We know how each other works, we can be flexible enough to handle any threat. Better we have guidelines on how to act for any given situation. Nothing hard, nothing fast, everything flexible. Better to be able to bend with circumstance, otherwise we will break under it." Thorn also brought up the subject of Belle, the Wolfman deciding then that maybe it was better to inform the team of his plans for her. "Some of you may be wondering why I allow the child on the team. I will tell you so you better understand my choices. When I was her age I was taken from my family home by a group run by a woman named Gretta Tante, better known as Granny. This group's MO is to abduct meta children. They then brainwash, train and outfit them to become superpowered weapons that Granny can sell to the highest bidder. I became a pet project of Grannies, my unique condition meaning I proved difficult to control. With help I managed to escape, a fact that still stings Tante." He still remembered that night so clearly. He was still more Wolf than man then, trapped in the form of a monster. It was Little Red Riding Hood who first managed to burst from her cells, before hitting the release on the other prisoners. Most had been to confused, or far too indoctrinated, to contemplating escaping. Not so Magnus, who had lended his strength and savagery to Red Hood's cunning and training. Together the two had lead a handful of other inmates to their freedom, though they soon parted ways. "For the last three years Hellfire and I have tried to dismantle the operation, but despite our best efforts Granny still operates, hidden on the fringes of civilization and provided asylum by her powerful benefactors." "I discovered that Belle had attracted Tante's attention. I took her away from her home, with her parents blessing, knowing what Granny would do to her if she got a hold of her. That's why she's here, why I keep her close. Grannies reach is long, and I'm still not certain this place is safe from her influence, especially from a woman who made it her lifes work to train meta infiltrators. There's only two other people in the world I'd trust with Belles safety, and I cannot ask them to 'babysit'." Those two being Carter Hall and Gabe Harlan. Both of whom had their own lives to live, own battles to fight. "She will train with us. I will help teach her control the beast inside." Fenrir had plenty of practice controlling his own animalistic urges, surely there was some tricks he could impart to her. "And soon she will make her own choice as to whether she wishes to join us on the field or not. Belle cannot be put into a support role. Her powers and personality isn't suited for it. She is like me in that she can either be the hammer or she can be the anvil. Ask of her anything else and we would be misusing her." "She is no normal little girl. She will be forced to grow up faster than any of you have." "So. . . Is there anything else?"

[Kablamicus]

As the mechsuit detonated Johnny let out a loud holler of excitement completely unaware that he'd just taken a human life, the flame and the battery creating a bright fireworks display that lit up the room. Once the dust settled and the fight came to an end Molotov stood still for a moment generally glaring around the room. This had been the teams first mission and not only had they failed to capture the Royal Flush gang but now they were still subject to Luthor's rampant ego. Without a word Johnny stuck a flaming middle finger up at Luthor as he boarded the VTOL, he'd be back for him later. The transport was a complete mess, it was clear that taking Belle on missions wasn't just a danger to herself, it was a danger to the rest of the team as well. Returning to headquarters Johnny just nodded at Quantum, he was an asshole, but at least he wasn't a stuck-up asshole. Back in his quarters Johnny stashed a few more cigarettes into his jacket. It was only now that Johnny came fully to terms with his actions on the mission, during the heat of the battle he had taken another life. Moltotov lingered in the center of his room for a moment coming to the conclusion that it was either the man or his teammates, the victim was just working for the wrong man, that'd be what Johnny would tell himself in the harsh nights to come. Johnny entered the meeting room a half finished cigarette hanging from his hand loosely just in time to watch the heated discussion. Molotov didn't like the sound of getting up at 6am to train but judging by the faces of his allies and the way he felt they were all too worn out to argue against it. Concerning Belle, Johnny didn't particularly mind whether she trained with them, what he did take issue with was the idea that she be placed on the battlefield. "I gotta agree with houseplant here. Regardless of what baggage you carry Fenrir if anything happened to her in the field, it'd be on your hands."

[The Patriarch]

When Adam heard Fenrir mention that their training tomorrow would be kept a secret he smiled, he loved surprises and this would be a chance to see how they all would react to training that they weren't prepared. He was a little annoyed at Fenrir insistence that Tamashi train even though he was injured. It definitely true that the enemy would not wait for them to heal and Adam had received that kind of training his whole life, but if his teammates' injuries became worse because of training then he would be ineffective in the field. When Fenrir said that Sun Tzu was wise, Adam started to wonder if maybe always using quotes from famous people in his points made him look confident in his own abilities. Maybe he should cut back on the quotes and get more to the point. Adam did have to admit that Thorn's use of football as a way of explaining strategy while more simple did have some good points and Adam actually really enjoyed football, it was one of his favorite sports. Of course Thorn didn't like the idea of Belle being on the team, he seemed very protective on the child to Adam and with one so young as her he wasn't surprised. But Adam was still in agreement with Fenrir about training her. He was curious to hear his reason for her being on the team, and when the wolfman told them, Adam was not expecting something that personal, but when he thought about it it did make sense. Then there was Johnny who had a habit of smoking that Adam didn't really like, he had grown up with scientists and learning about unhealthy habits and substances was one of the first things he learned. He also supported Thorn's stances on the matter of Belle, it was true that if something happened her in the field then Fenrir would be responsible, but that's what it meant to be a leader which was to make hard and sometimes even reckless decisions and take responsibility for mistakes, Adam knew those things all too well. "I know that some of you don't believe that Belle should be, but I was trained to become a hero at an even younger age than Belle. I know it seems crazy to have such a young girl on a team like this, but I will put trust in our leader's decision, and sometimes we have to grow up faster than others" Adam spoke to them. He knew he would get some criticisms and probably some rude remarks, but he would stick up for their leader, especially after his threatening words before their first mission, he wanted to try and reconcile with Fenrir.

[Hillan]

Marcus had remained quiet while the others were talking. Not because he felt shame for being drunk, or even missing the mission. He felt nothing regarding both of those. In his mind it was Fenrir's own fault for not making sure he was there before moving out. He definitely could have figured out where Marcus was. Probably even sniffed him out. The team were talking about the youngest member of the team, the girl. Belle. Marcus had never talked to her, he disliked kids. A shrink would have a field day with that one. Still, he did like how pure and untainted children were. They weren't cynical like the adults. Adam spoke up. "I know that some of you don't believe that Belle should be, but I was trained to become a hero at an even younger age than Belle. I know it seems crazy to have such a young girl on a team like this, but I will put trust in our leader's decision, and sometimes we have to grow up faster than others" Marcus scoffed, as he spoke up his boot-clad feet still on the table in front of him, leaning back in his chair. "And look how you turned out." His retort was filled with sarcasm. "Though, as much as it pains me to say, I'm with meathead over there, and Wolfgang too. Training her is the smartest move. Batman has taught a handful of kids and most of them turned out all right. We keep her out of the field to avoid any 'Tactical mishaps' like the one I'm sure happened during the mission and she should be fine. Discipline would help her control whatever feral side she has." Marcus ended his sentiment with a scoff. "6 A.M you said training was, right?" Mark confirmed, putting his feet down on the ground and standing up, walking out of the meeting room and heading towards his quarters. He had a bottle of Jack Daniels waiting for him. "Anyone care to join me for a drink? You sorry lot sure look like you could use one."

[An Outsider]

Some of the team commented on Fenrir's decisions for Belle, but as far as he was concerned the matter was settled. Nothing they added now would change that. In his opinion this meeting had just ended. He stood up from his chair. "That's everything for now. Get a good nights rest team. You'll need it." He dismissed the rest, allowing them to trudge out of the meeting room before he followed. He started making his way to his personal quarters, fully intending to get some rest himself, but somehow it was the control room his feet brought him too. There he sat at his desk, half his focus on pouring over data snippets and the other half lost in trying to discover the reason for the teams disastrous first mission.

The Next Morning

It was early yet, a good half hour before six, when the rest of the team should arrive, but Fenrir had been in the training room for a while already. He had been unable to sleep, so to keep his mind from dwelling on the failed mission he had come down here to prepare the place for the days activities. The training room was on a newly excavated level below the rest of the Hub. Six months ago it had been no more than dirt and earthworms, but thanks to some super-speed digging and developing courtesy of Superman they now had an area the square size of a football pitch to train in. The eventual plan was to install a hard light holographic projector for fully integrated training simulations, the likes of which Young Justice have, but for the moment the Outsiders had to make do with gym mats and their imaginations. To complement the session Fenrir had placed several gymnastic boxes and pommel horses around the area for some strategic diversification. Four different industrial forklift trucks had been left in the four different quadrants, along with hundreds of barbell weights dumped seemingly at random. The entire left side of the room was dominated by a scaffolding rig, several stories high, that could be used for impromptu gymnastics. Satisfied that he had done everything with the resources at hand the Wolf-man waited on the team arriving, though they still had plenty of time yet.

[The Patriarch]

Adam ignored Marcus' comment, he didn't know the man and Marcus didn't know him either. More and more the team was having problems with getting along and Adam wondered how this would all turn out. Adam had trouble sleeping, his mind was a mess with the anxieties of what would come of more messy missions like the one they had completed. His superiors would not be too pleased if his reputation got tarnished by a string of failures and excessive collateral damage. Adam decided to meditate to cam his mind and tried to figure out what would be the best course of action for the coming morning. When his alarm went off, Adam quickly got dressed for training and headed straight for the room. He was military trained so he was use to early morning rises and quickly hurried to the training room. When he got there Adam saw that Fenrir had already gotten there before him and he was Impressed by the dedication of their leader.

[Dragonbud]

The rest of the evening and well into the night hadn't gone very well for Belle. She felt sick and achey and scratchy all over. No matter what she did she couldn't settle down. She considered going out to the common room, maybe to find someone to talk to. But decided against this. Her pride felt dented by her earlier outburst.Even after changing into pajamas and tucking herself into bed she still felt wound up. Belle knew she was tired, but yet couldn't find rest. She could still feel her animalistic side gnawing at her thoughts. Belle squeezed her eyes shut. She knew this was all a side effect of her powers, and eventually she would fall asleep. And she did. The sound of the morning alarm going off felt like hammers on her ears. Belle growled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Today was going to be a long day. She was informed about training by a passing member of the outsiders. Belle was surprised to hear she was invited along. She changed into clothing that she found suitable, minus footwear, for training and shuffled her way to the training room. The interior of the training room was so carefully crafted. Belle felt another pang of guilt. Fenrir must have worked really hard on this room. He must be working really hard to take care of this team, and Belle had already messed so much up. She stood silently in the room, a clear difference from her normally bubbly attitude.

[Lord Wraith]

Disappointed with the end of the meeting, Thorn couldn't help but feel Fenrir was going to do things his way no matter what the rest of the team suggested. The fact that there was such a division between the team regarding the training and treatment of Belle should have caused the leader to rethink his position or at least note that he would consider everything the team had discussed in regards to the matter. Instead they were dismissed to recuperate and rest for an intense training session in the morning. Morning wasn't even that far away at this point, the mission had used the majority of the day, Thorn noted as he wandered through the halls of the base aimlessly. The quiet of the night was often his favourite time of day with the rest of the team asleep in their dorms. It was also the only time of day that Thorn didn't prefer to be outside, once the sun had set the appeal left him. He had no desire to howl at the moon or feel alive in the chill of the night. Stopping outside of Belle's door, Thorn raised a hand to knock. No doubt the child was feeling guilty, alone and hurt. The sobbing on the other side of the door confirmed it. Faltering, Thorn dropped his hand stepping away from the door. He had no idea how to speak to Belle, how to comfort her. If he did perhaps Valentine wouldn't be dead, instead he could be married and living with a wife and child of his own. Instead Thorn now was walking the halls of a secret base, alone and speechless on the matters around him. The first rays of light began to shine through the base's windows and Thorn ventured outside. The morning dew on the ground was always sweeter than any other source of water and the first rays of sun the warmest. Feeling the nutrients warm his body, Thorn grew himself back to his regular size, new life growing within him, thickening his core and arms as he added layers to his body. Feeling stronger, healthier and fuller than he had after the fight yesterday, Thorn reentered the base. Making his way to the training room, Thorn was disappointed to find Adam had already arrived. Realizing his peace and quiet was over, Thorn acknowledged Fenrir with a nod and walked over to Belle. Turning towards her, he forced his face into a smile and spoke to Belle. "How are you this morning little one?" He stretched his hand out, a bulb appearing as it flourished into a fruit. A combination of several flavours, the unique fruit would tickle anyone's tastebuds. "You look tired Belle, have some breakfast it will help. All the flavours of your favourite fruits perfectly manufactured and fully organic." Thorn added, urging the fruit towards the girl.

[JonxlatheLion]

Joshua shows up at the training bright and early, still rubbing his arm. He was told about the training session, despite not making it to the meeting due to his wounds. He looks around, not seeing much for him to play with for the moment. "No huge weights for me, eh? Guess i'll pick a fork lift to toss around. Play around with my gravity to get better with it." He, without waiting for anyone else, starts jumping around the place, adjusting his gravity so he effectively flings himself across the whole room. He goes to the scaffolds, and tests it until he is at his full weight. It still holds fast, which was good. He starts doing pull ups with a single arm, his huge biceps bulging visibly through his tight fit t-shirt. This was an easy task for Joshua, but it left his mind open to think about things. He had done a lot of building damage, but the one thing that perturbed him was people died. He was shocked at his team mates for actually killing people, without remorse. We're supposed to be heroes, helping people. Soldiers kill people, police officers kill people. They need to be better than everyone else. Death is not the only answer. Sure, Joshua has killed before. He's killed people with his bare hands. No one but him and Fenrir knows it but he was found in prison. A man like Joshua tends to crush people when he can't handle his anger at an older age. He learned to control his emotions the hard way, and he doesn't forget his lesson. He switches arms, using his right arm to do pull ups now. This time he was going slightly faster, his thoughts fueling his light work out.

[Razqua]

Tamashi was a tad aggravated when Fenrir wanted him to train despite having been shot multiple times. Sure he could handle a lot more damage than the average person but a couple days to recover isn't a lot to ask. Especially when you have broken ribs. Fenrir might think that you should push through the pain no matter what but Tamashi knows very well that pushing yourself when wounded would only result in more damage. Tamashi reluctantly went to bed to try and recover for training the next day. When he slept he had a dream. It was a dream of hell. He dreamed about the demons he forced to come to earth. How he had enslaved them for his own ends. What he felt was not a regret for his actions but an anger inside that he was forced to release them back to their home without having achieved his end goal. Then he dreamed about his fight with King. He repeatedly relived the moment where he thought he had one the fight and then his own team mate shot him in the back. In his sleep he called out in pain as his flesh was pierced by the bullets of his memory. While he slept his ribs healed. While they weren't fully healed by the time he was awake they were in much better condition than they were before he went to sleep. When Tamashi awoke he got dressed and grabbed his sword. He would have to skip breakfast as he had already consumed all the blood he had stored in his room. He would have to make a point of acquiring more later. He headed down to the training room and looked around at the other team mates who had arrived. His eyes had bags indicated his sleep was not a restful one. He began to seriously consider the benefit of being part of the team. He had done much better solo in the past. Seeing how he was still recovering from his wounds to the upper body Tamashi decided to begin on the treadmill.

[MrDidact]

Juno only nodded at Fenrir but inside she reeled at the rejection of her ideas. She swallowed her pride and kept her peace and followed the team outside the room. Twilight mused at how different things would be if she were in charge. There was ample time for dreams in bed however. After such a long day she needed the rest. The young hero went to her room and fell asleep almost immediately. no.....please.....no.... White stained with red. The smell of cordite and urine and sweat. The whimpers of broke men. The crackling of smoke. The thunderous beating of her heart. This moment stretching on forever. no...... Juno woke in a cold sweat, gasping for air. With a start she realized she was floating in the air off her bed, enveloped in a white barrier. Her heart was pounding and her breath came in ragged gasps. With effort she swallowed her heart back down and her breathing slowed until she came back onto the bed. Juno shook her head and got dressed and washed up before heading to the training area. Compared to the rest of the facility it was decidedly low-tech, it was akin to the gyms she started her career with. Still one didn't need to be fancy when it came to training and her abilities would be almost as good as a holo projector if they needed it.

[An Outsider]

Each member of the team was greeted with a grunt as they entered, the fact that Fenrir wasn't much of a talker surely being cemented into their minds now if it hadn't before. All the team made it down to the training area in good time, all except Litheal. The teleporter hadn't contributed anything to the fighting the night before either, nor the debriefing afterwards. Fenrir's threat had been clear, anyone who didn't make it this morning was out, and he fully intended to carry it out. This was the final nail in the coffin for Blink's career in the Outsiders. "Team. Firstly you'll have noticed Litheal hasn't joined us this morning. His time with the Outsiders is over." He ran his stern gaze over the team, daring them to challenge him on his decision. When no argument was forthcoming he continued, skipping all preamble. "See the flags?" He said, pointing at two flags, one at each opposite length of the field. One was red, the other blue. "I will split you all into two teams. Each team will have a flag to protect, and a flag to capture. How you do so will be down to you, though I will be assigning each team a captain. Whether you listen your captain or not is up to you." "For this exercise I will be primarily observing, though I may run interference for either side. Understood? The team protecting the red flag will be led by Twilight, and consisting of Molotov, Quantum, Madcap and Belle. Warpath has blue team with Poltergeist, Omega, Thorn and Bloodwalker. Fight starts in five, so I suggest the you leaders get your teams ready."