Several emotions coursed through me as I sit in the cold chair and spartan room. The cold metal of handcuffs feel like ice against my wrists. I scoff at the whole indignity of it all — I get tormented to the point of triggering and they treat me as a criminal. The room surrounding me is cement gray, completely utilitarian and cliche. Sitting across the table from me is a behemoth of a man, clad in blue power armor that clings to his body. Very slim but no doubt incredibly durable, considering the man in question. The armor is a vibrant blue color with white accents around the chest, arms, and legs. A neatly trimmed brown beard adorns the bottom half of his face, the upper half hidden by a pitch black visor. It's honestly unsettling looking into the cold black glass hiding the man's eyes. It makes him seem less than human; like a robot just following a script of actions.

His voice is a low baritone, and honestly it surprises me that it's just the right tone to be pleasant. However, his words are cold, lifeless. It's as if this is the very last thing he would want to be doing at the moment. "Hello Andrew, I assume you know why I am here talking with you?"

I level a glare towards the large armored man, a scoff leaving my lips before I could stop it. My open defiance certainly wouldn't be helping me anytime soon. "Of course I do." I jerk my hands to make the cuffs rattle, the sound echoing throughout the room. "You have a prime Wards candidate sitting right in front of you without having to search for it. Considering the fact that I fucking triggered publicly."

A frown crosses the man's face before it quickly returns to a stoic visage. "That is true. The Wards is a good opportunity for you. You'll get training, teammates, and compensation." He slides a stack of papers across the table towards me. "Sign these and you'll be released and we will start the introductory process."

I push the stack of forms back to Armsmaster. "And what if I choose not to join your group of child soldiers?"

A frown stays on Armsmaster's face this time. I obviously struck a nerve with my last statement. "You injured several minors before we captured you. A jail sentence or even a trip to the Birdcage wouldn't be a surprise."

I lean in with a smirk on my face. Armsmaster just talked himself into a corner with his most recent statement. The words leave my lips with ease and almost arrogance, "I want to speak with my lawyer." The large man stands up and leaves the room, leaving me with the victory in our verbal spar.

I am broken from my thoughts when the door to the interrogation room opens and a tall blonde woman enters. Her hair is quite obviously straightened, and she's wearing a formal pantsuit. I recognize her immediately. This is Carol Dallon, better known as the superhero Brandish. At first I was surprised that she was assigned to be my lawyer, but then it hits me. She knows I'm a public trigger and wants me on her team. New Wave has been unable to gain new members since the Fleur incident, and I'm a new member practically given to her on a silver platter. She takes a seat beside me and offers me her hand. "Hello Andrew, I'm Carol Dallon and I'll be representing you today."

I take her hand and shake it gently before sighing at my limited mobility due to the handcuffs. "I'm sure everyone in Brockton Bay knows who you are Mrs. Dallon. Due to your other job, that is. Now am I correct in guessing that you only came here because I happened to trigger in public."

Her wince is almost imperceptible but I do take notice of it. "It is true that the only reason I came personally is because of that fact, but I will not force you to make any decision you do not want to make. Though I do want to extend the offer to you."

"It's not like I have much choice in the matter Carol. The chances I actually live to my next birthday are slim when I'm a public cape with no team. I'll join your little team out of necessity since I have no intention on becoming a villain."

A frown settles on her face at my disrespectful attitude but I couldn't be bothered to care. She takes a few breaths to settle herself. "For now let's focus on getting you out of here and then we will go back to your parents' home to explain your next move."

"No way in hell. I'm legally emancipated and there is no fucking way you're making me go back to that hellhole." I vehemently shut down her suggestion. I would rather sit in a jail cell than return to that place.

She puts her hands up in front of her in a show of acceptance, obviously wanting to settle me down "That's alright Andrew, though I will need to see the paperwork proving that. I assume you have an apartment if you're emancipated."

I take a few breaths trying to settle myself. I know that she was most likely unaware of my current living situation, but it still bothers me to even think about that place. "Sorry about that. I have some very bad memories of my family. I would very much appreciate getting out of here though; I'm tired of being treated as a criminal."

"I will be talking with the PRT's lawyers and you should be out of here shortly. You've already been here for three hours and they cannot hold you for more than five without charging you with a crime. They have no chance of success in actually getting an assault charge to stick, with it being your trigger event. We have laws protecting you from that. I will be back shortly." With her piece said Carol stands up and exits the room leaving me with just my thoughts.

I rub my chafed wrists as the sun blinds me once we step out of the PRT headquarters. Carol Dallon is walking briskly beside me as we make our way into Brockton Bay proper. Parked next to the curb outside of the headquarters' barrier is a bright red sports car. A Porsche 911 turbo, and while I'm more of a muscle car man I absolutely adore this European masterpiece. My lawyer opens the driver's side door before calling out to me, "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get in?"

I smirk while walking around to the other side of the car. New Wave must really want me and a part of me loves that. I'm not used to actually being wanted. Sure, this is just because of my power but it is still a good feeling. I quickly fasten my seat belt and Carol pulls away from the curb. "I'll have you meet the rest of the team before I drop you back off at your apartment. You can send me a copy of your emancipation paperwork tomorrow."

I nod and look out the window, watching the city zip by me. It seems that even though she's a superhero she still likes speed. I can definitely respect that. If I owned a car like this I would definitely never go less than forty miles per hour. "That's fine with me. Can you give me a rundown of what you expect out of me?"

She shifts the car into a lower gear as she slows down. "Mainly we expect you to keep a clean image. Do well in class, don't break laws, and make appearances with the rest of the team. We won't force you into fighting crime but villains may push that issue."

"I won't lie, I was expecting more. I've always had unattainable goals thrust upon me and you're asking for the bare minimum. It feels too good to be true." I still don't trust them in the slightest, though my gut is telling me to believe in the hero sitting to my left. However, my seventeen years of life scream at me to keep them at arm's length.

She parks her car in the driveway of a rather plain house. It looks so textbook american family that I want to puke. I quickly step out of her car and stretch while Carol makes her way towards the doorway. I lethargically follow her inside. Does she not realise this is the worst day of my life? I want nothing more than to go home and sleep. I'm only doing this because I have no other choice and I don't want to alienate the few people who can keep me safe. I shake my thoughts away as I realise I am now standing in her parlor. I take a seat as she disappears upstairs, probably to gather the rest of her family. I sigh as I leaned back against the couch. Christ I hate introductions. I wouldn't say I'm antisocial but I definitely don't like new people.

I hear footsteps coming from the staircase to my left and put my thoughts to the side for the moment. The first person down the stairs is Carol, still dressed in her business suit, and she takes a seat in the chair across from me. Floating behind her is a teen in a ripped pair of jeans and a graphic tee that's probably two sizes too large for her. I honestly didn't expect Glory Girl to dress like this; I was expecting a preppy bitch, but it looks like I am wrong. Behind her is a tall man dressed semi formally. This was definitely Flashbang, I don't really know much about his civilian life as he is rarely seen out of costume. To my surprise Panacea is not present; perhaps she's at the hospital this evening.

I turn my attention back to Carol when I hear her speak up "Mark, Victoria, this is Andrew. He's a recent trigger and will be joining the team."

She keeps it short and sweet, not that I mind in the slightest. Victoria floats over to me and offers me her hand. "Hello Andrew, it's nice to meet you."

I can't help but smile as I take her hand and shake it. She's stunning. Actually I'm having trouble concentrating on anything but her. "H-hello Victoria it's nice to meet you." Something is wrong did I just fucking stutter.

I'm soon broken out of my trance by the sharp sound of Carol's voice, "Victoria, what have we talked about when it comes to your aura."

Victoria actually looks sullen at this, as if she had done something extremely wrong. She then speaks up, her voice low and apologetic, "Sorry, I'm still having a hard time controlling it. I let it out when I got excited about a new teammate."

Ah, so that's what her Glory feels like. I've seen it described on PHO but the experience is something else entirely. Perhaps my erratic emotional state caused a much worse reaction than normal, but that was suffocating. She is soon back to a much more cheerful look, which suits her much better. This time I can manage to tear my gaze away from her, but I can tell she is still gorgeous. "So Andrew, how long have you had your powers?"

I wince internally. It's an innocent enough question but the wound is still fresh. Hell, the bleeding had just barely stopped when Armsmaster entered my interrogation room. I take a few breaths and just as Carol is about to interrupt I speak, "Roughly five hours. Honestly I'm not in the greatest spot right now and am on the brink of a mental breakdown. So I'd really like to talk about anything besides my powers and how I got them."

This causes the room to go silent and my two new acquaintances turn to Carol. Mark is the one to speak up. His voice is quiet but holds authority as if commanding all to listen to him, "Carol, you thought it would be a good idea to have him meet new people on the day of his trigger event?"

The elder Dallon woman winces at the tone he has, shrinking back in her chair. "He seemed to be dealing with it quite well. It seemed like he would be able to do introductions before I took him back to his apartment."

"Apartment? Do you live on your own Andrew?" Victoria interrupts the two before the argument gets any further.

Honestly I'm glad she did, I'm not good around fights. Well at least nonviolent ones, I can definitely throw down when needed or wanted. I allow a smile to grace my lips. "Yeah, it's not the greatest. Just a little one bedroom down by the docks, but it's mine. My father and I are not on speaking terms so I live on my own now. My sister Claire comes over once a month from Boston just to check on me."

I stretch out a bit while the elder Dallons bicker quietly. I can't stay still for very long without getting restless. "It's been fun meeting you Victoria but I really should get home. It's been a long day."

Carol stands up, lightly brushing off her pants, which must be some kind of nervous tic. "I'll take you home then Andrew. We can talk more tomorrow, I'll be taking the day off and you can meet the rest of the team then."

I nod and follow her out the door, thinking to myself that just maybe things can be better now.