A crowded theater, lit from above, with the doors opening straight outside. It's a hastily-constructed building, meant to temporarily serve as a meeting place and sometimes movie theater until the construction crews are ready to erect proper structures. Even so, it's sturdily-built, looking to anyone but an expert to be as good a building as any permanent one.
The ceremony reaches the part everyone is interested in: The actual induction of the heroes.
"Aquarius, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Protectorate, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?"Matthew is sweating profusely, almost regretting coming here. Still, it's the best job he's likely to hold, and with all the water he'll be pretty useful.
"I so swear."
He hopes he won't regret this.
"Banzai, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Protectorate, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?""Yes."Momentum looks at the young hero.
"I do so swear.""Bullet Girl, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Wards, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?"Bullet Girl nods sullenly. As should be unsurprising, losing half of her mother and siblings had a negative effect on her. There were even rumors that she had tried to commit suicide. She was rather gloomy while being introduced to the other Wards, barely saying a word. Quite a contrast to Thunderfist, who was almost joyful.
Momentum seemed to take this as sufficient, earning a grumble from Banzai.
"Mirror Maiden, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Protectorate, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?"
"I d-do so swear." Mirror Maiden looks even more nervous than Matthew, practically terrified. She may have joined on a whim as much as anything.
"Plastic Titan, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Protectorate, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?""I do so swear." Plastic Titan is almost uniquely calm. Half of the inductees have never been heroes; most of the others have little experience. Plastic Titan is one of the more experienced heroes in the city, counting time from his first day in costume to the present, although he has been only a part-time hero until now.
"Red Cross, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Protectorate, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?""I do so swear.""Rubber Maniac, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Protectorate, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?""I do so swear.""Plane Jane, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Protectorate, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?""I do so swear."Selina and Delphinium watch the remaining members of the Seven get inducted, disguised by their PRT uniforms. Phantasm and Slither are onstage with Momentum and Sliver. Blaster and Scatterstep are sitting in the front row of the audience. The other Wards are out patrolling, alongside the Guild and the remnants of the White Lilies.
"Potio, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Protectorate, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?""I do so swear."
The tinker was perhaps the only person on the stage who looked excited. She was finally getting a chance to be a hero...almost fully aware of what she was getting into, but ignorant enough to not be afraid of what came ahead.
"Thalsian, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Protectorate, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?"Thalsian was a bit bored, really. He couldn't help but wonder what the villains were doing while they wasted time on ceremony. He could almost feel the cameras, prodding him, reminding him of the sole reason for this.
"I do so swear."
One more.
"Thunderfist, do you swear to uphold the laws of whatever region you are stationed in, to abide by the guidelines of the Wards, and otherwise abide by the oath previously given?""I do so--"There is a crash, drawing everyone's attention. A dark blue pickup truck crashed through the wall. While the audience is distracted, three villains hurry in from the back: The Deadly Four.
Showtime, Animus thought to himself. He erupted from the floor, joining his teammates. The camera swiveled to point at them, knocking off the operator.
"Heroes of Toronto, your--"Wi-Fiend didn't get further before chaos erupted. A ball flies in through a window, crackling with energy and depositing two supervillains inside--one concealed by a black robe, one smaller with a pair of red shorts over brown-and-orange scales, as well as a serpentine outline tattooed on his chest. The first throws the ball outside again before vanishing; the scaly one begins growing.
Femur sprints in, depositing Fang, Skull, and Jaw before pausing to catch his breath. Fang quickly summons his sharp shards of force field.
"Those fools may talk big, but the Bones--"Skull is struck by a blue laser, burning a hole through his torso, making him slump over. Green dust coalesces in the form of a scrawny man in a red bodysuit and matching mask, who promptly falls a few meters to the ground and gets tackled by several audience members.
A suit of presumably-occupied, clunky-looking powered armor appears, followed by a teenaged girl in a once-white bodysuit. Capes in the room feel their powers receding, and the scaled man begins to shrink to his unimpressive original size.
"Bit of a downer, that." A tall man in a red bodysuit and a black-lenses ski mask enters the room, followed by a tall, slender woman wearing a filthy trenchcoat and carrying a crude longarm, a shortish man in a white-and-gray bodysuit, a swarm of what seem to be beetles, and a young man who seems to be a hostage.
"Although it means I get to take you down, old-school."Another hole is blown in another wall, letting four individuals with bulky powered armor enter. The symbols emblazoned on their chest leaves no doubt that they are from Morvirtut, that crazy parahuman-sacrificing cult.
You know, despite the fact that better than half the heroes in the city, plus a dozen (actually ten) trained PRT officers, you kinda wish the security was better...
Aquarius (wolfchild)
Banzai (creates energy constructs)
Bullet Girl (Ward; former Seven member)
Mirror Madien (various powers)
Plastic Titan (polymer-focused tinker)
Red Cross (healer; former Seven member)
Rubber Maniac (stretches and distorts his body; former Seven member)
Plane Jane (flight, lets others fly; former Seven member)
Potio (formerly Derm)
Thalsian (Scood)
Thunderfist (Ward)
((Wird es ein Update heute Abend?))
You ninja, you.
))