AN: Another of the side-stories by anothvortex from Spacebattles.

Side-Story: A Lukewarm Welcome: New York

Dennis had always thought he was funny. A laugh or sarcastic moment of snark was a welcome distraction from any number of issues. Watching the people around him groan while he had a good time was miles better than thinking about countless failed bone marrow transplants or hissing tubes at the hospital. His attitude helped him deal day to day, his position gave him a support network that he had utilized regularly, and his team had his back through thick or thin. Not to mention that Sophia's delectable backside offered a different sort of distraction from the stress and strain of his life.

Sitting across the table from the frowning faces of Legend and Jouster was decidedly not funny. No, he was not enjoying this at all.

Carrying himself with the perfect poise that the teen had only seen on television before, Legend spoke up. "Clockblocker, this is normally the point where I would welcome you to the team, go over some of the ground rules, and wish you well. Unfortunately, the whole situation in Brockton Bay was such a mess that I'm mostly here to lay down the law. A position in New York is supposed to be a sign of honor and respect. Mostly because problem children tend to head to L.A., but sadly Alexandria has no time to spare for you. In all honesty, you were a hairsbreadth away from ending up in Alaska. Depending upon how this meeting goes, that could still happen. Are we clear?"

Swallowing nervously, Dennis quickly nodded. No one who had a brain cell wanted to deal with an angry Legend, and despite what people thought he was not that stupid.

Reaching for a folder, the leader of the Protectorate leaned forward. "I have read every report about every failure that led up to the recent disaster in your hometown. No one walked out of that situation looking even halfway competent, other than a couple of your fellow Wards. The only reason that I am willing to give you a chance is your relative age and the lack of appropriate oversight you received. Aegis has a long way to go if he is going to get anywhere in his upcoming career. However, I want you to prove that you are better than people have painted you. So, without lying or embellishing any of the facts, start talking. I want to hear everything you personally saw and did when it came to Braid. Leave nothing out. I might not have a Thinker ability to cold read, but I've been running this organization for decades. Better people than you have tried to bullshit me."

Looking between the Triumvirate Blaster and the local Wards Leader, the would be jokester began to talk.

He described meeting Braid, and how their power synergy did not really accomplish much. How she was often quiet, and kept blowing off group activities. Dennis forced himself to mention the times when he was having a bad day after a hospital visit, and the other girl made herself such a tempting target for his frustration. The way that she seemed to be so weak, timid, soft and sheltered.

It was tempting to tweak parts of the story, but the near unblinking stare of his audience told Clockblocker not to bother. So he went over his crush on Sophia, and how she seemed to be warming up to him. How he would follow her lead and override Braid's complaints about power exhaustion. How, despite her protests, no one from up on high had said anything, so he just kept doing it. Finally, he stated his thoughts on the very idea that the hesitant brunette would hurt a fly, let alone a badass like Shadow Stalker.

The two other Parahumans listened in silence, not interrupting as the younger man told his story. They might as well have been carved from stone as the tale of indifference and teenaged stupidity became just another series of life lessons.

When Dennis had finally finished, Jouster turned to face Legend and spoke without hesitation. "Sir, I do not want him leading any of our teams. That is the sort of attitude that gets people killed."

Already drained from his previous nerves, the younger Parahuman spoke up. "Hey, wait a minute there..."

Legend cut them off with a raised hand, his expression disturbingly blank. Both teens stayed quiet as the Protectorate leader seemed to reflect upon what he had heard. Thankfully for the building tension, it did not take long for the older man to stand. "Thank you, Clockblocker. That was consistent with what I had heard before."

Taking a deep breath, the older man spoke. "What you did to Braid was just another thoughtless act that should never of happened. I know that Director Piggot enjoyed using Console Duty as a punishment, but around here we view it as a necessary function of teamwork that will keep your fellow Wards alive. No matter how "badass" you believe a Parahuman should be on the street, failing to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates can get them killed. In fact, according to every report I've read so far, you nearly allowed Shadow Stalker to kill Braid with your indifference. I'm sure that your crush would have been worth it after being a party to first degree murder. Because make no mistake, every single investigator is in complete agreement that the departed Sophia Hess was trying to kill your former teammate and pushed too far."

Dennis did not have much he could say in response to something like that.

Jouster looked over at Legend and, with his nod, spoke up. "We've dealt with teammates who have had difficult powers before. One of our better people, Flechette, has a skill that can be ridiculously lethal. After looking over the real facts behind the case rather than the cover story your branch came up with, all I can say is that you're damned lucky. This easily could have become a revenge story, but Braid, now Isis I guess, was very restrained. Shadow Stalker tried to kill her, and she retaliated only after being beaten half to death. Coil killed her girlfriend and kidnapped one of her few friends in the Wards, and she wiped out his organization and the bulk of the Travelers in response. The Empire Eighty Eight used the search as a way to kill or tarnish heroes for street cred, and she wiped out most of their key leadership. Now take a moment to think about what would have happened if she had decided to unilaterally lash out at the organization and teammates who consistently failed her for months."

Dennis did, and had an unpleasant mental hiccup.

Legend shook his head with a sigh. "Consider yourself on probation for the next six months. You will be assigned to the Lancer Squad temporary, but that may change depending upon how your attitude and temperament works with the team. There will be no patrols unless at least two senior Wards and a Protectorate member are available, or your specific power set is required for an emergency. You will be allowed to shadow the Console, but you will not be in charge of it for the foreseeable future. Do you understand?"

Under the focused and angry gaze of the greatest heroic Blaster in North America, the teen could only nod.

Acknowledging the gesture, the Protectorate leader continued. "Since you will be doing so much less patrol work than the average Ward, consider your remaining schedule filled. I want you in therapy, sensitivity training, and PRT Trooper drills whenever possible. If you're going to be a hero, you need to do better. Despite everything that happened, we are willing to give you the tools to succeed. Impress us with your commitment, and we will see how things can be adjusted in six months. Keep doing the same stupid, juvenile garbage and you'll be kicked out so fast your helmet will spin. Understood?"

Dennis licked his lips before replying, "While I hate to tempt fate and everything, isn't that the sort of schedule the Youth Guard gets a little twitchy about? With all due respect of course."

Legend did not even flinch. "Interestingly enough, the second that they heard you were formerly of Brockton Bay, their local representative could not sign off on the modified schedule fast enough. Anything that is framed as intended to prevent another tragedy like Shadow Stalker is being rubber stamped. Particularly after we presented evidence that their OWN organization was legally culpable in the whole disaster and might need to be thoroughly reviewed on a national level. Is that clear?"

Feeling thoroughly thrown under the bus, Clockblocker replied, "Crystal, sir."

That made the Protectorate Leader crack a smile. "Very well then, welcome to the New York Wards. Jouster will be your supervisor and guide while the rest of the minutiae gets worked out. In fact, he can escort you to your next appointment immediately. Isn't that right?"

The New York Ward Leader shot Dennis a tight grin. "Oh yes, we wouldn't want to be late. The head of PR is very interested in talking with you about your upcoming time in the city. Word to the wise? Glenn Chambers holds a grudge like you wouldn't believe, and apparently has a problem with you. Something about mangling a Ward Induction speech?"

Unsurprisingly, Dennis also did not find that funny at all.