Tommy gave a weak distracted nod, he was glad to help Richard but he felt like the last thing he wanted to be reminded of was Richard stalking down those halls, gunning down the guards without mercy. Dona was a little more suprising, he hadn't been around when this had happened but it certainly had a scary edge, even more so because it was an accident. And what about me? I could rip someone in half and barely break a sweat. The thought troubled him some more, but he remembered he had spent the last twelve years of his life learning how to control his strength.
"Trust me Dona, you were in a situation where you had to think quickly. Should have is a wonderful phrase and hindsight is 20/20, but in the moment you may have only seconds between you and death. You did well more than you could have to ensure everyone got out of there unharmed, he simply couldn't handle it though. You could have just as easily bashed his head open with your bat, but you didn't. As far as I'm concerned, there is no blood on your hands from that encounter." He replied.
"It still seems justified, to use your terms. Though I understand, I had to come to terms with death long ago. Dealing in death, you have to or you can't stay in the business, it will destroy you." Richard replied.
Connor hears Rich and mutters a thanks, and heads up to the roof. Facing the sun he sits down, takes off his coat and spreads his arms. The crystals in his chest and arms.
"When it can be avoided, yes, but those times are often few in our line of work. Think about it, we are heroes, innocent lives are at stake and often time is against us. When time is of the essence, we cannot be wasting it trying to ensure that our enemies do not take casualties. In most other instances yes, try to keep people in all sides from dying, but sometimes death is a necessary evil." Richard explained.
Alister woke with a start. He realized he had been dozing off in the corner for some time now. On the bright side, his headache was gone for the moment. Noticing the others conversing, he decided to approaching, hamming up a yawn as best he could.
"A debate on heroic ethics, eh?" He asked. "All right, I'm game. I for one have found that killing can be a worthwhile force for good, when used judiciously and sparingly of course." He had no idea what "judiciously" meant, but he figured throwing it in couldn't hurt.
Katie set the note aside and began to pack up her belongings. She briefly debated whether to stay one more night or not. The Promenade was like her second home, after all... but she decided against it. She had become too attached to the place, and she felt it was best that she left as soon as possible.
Finding the keys to the vehicles Richard had purchased for her, Katie grew a shelf from the wall and put them on it, along with her communicator. She had no need for them where she was going. Besides, she had only used the bike once, and hadn't driven at all. With that out of the way she continued to pack, leaving out a jacket to wear to both conceal the note and provide some warmth later.
Once she finished packing up, Katie pulled the jacket on, tucked the note into an inside pocket and headed for the Promenade entrance.
Tommy had excused himself from the rest of the group, well excuse wasn't the right word, he just walked off. He felt the need to walk around and decided to see how the flowers Katie had planted were taking in now, that's right I still never told her everything about them.
As he exited the Promenade he saw Katie and waved hello.
Katie waved back, but kept walking, not stopping to engage in conversation. As she walked, she wondered how her actions would affect the rest of the team. Would they think less of her, or appreciate her decision? Jason in particular... how would he take it? He would be able to find out where she was going, but the message seemed kind of disheartening to Katie. Only time would tell.
As a final mental note, she opted to leave the gardens as they were, keeping her room intact as a testament to her having been in the Society. She entered the Promenade's lounge and made straight for the stairs, respectfully ignoring anyone who may have been in the room.
Enjoying himself in the lounge, Jason saw Katie pass in the corner of his eye. Happily, he waved in her direction, but she paid no attention and continued on her way.
"Katie...?" He said quietly as he took after her. He slowed to walking as he caught up with her on the staircase.
"Hey Kate, have you seen the new members yet? They're an interesting bunch, they are." He asked with overbearing obliviousness.
"Alister, have you killed anyone? If you haven't then that is where you will find where your ethics actually lie. It's good to have an idea going in, but trust me when I say all of what you believed before goes out the window when you are staring a man in the eyes and deciding whether he goes home to see his family or not. When you see the life drain from his eyes and all color drain from their face as their body goes limp from your hands. That is when you know for a fact what you believe about death in the line of duty. I know for a fact loss of life is damn hard to justify, but some of us find a way to do it." Richard replied honestly. It was obvious from his voice he wasn't being chastising or mocking, just honest from his life experience.
Katie turned. "Oh... hey, hun," she answered. "Um... can it wait a little while?" Damn. This wasn't part of the plan. Still, no plan is sound unless you allow for human interference. She tried to think of a way to distract Jason so she could get into his room and leave the note, but failed dismally. Ah, cripe. What am I supposed to do now?
This might seem a little out of the blue but how are supers viewed from a law enforcement and Federal standpoint. Like do we have the same allowances and restrictions as cops? Are we backed by the Government in anyway? What's considered 'going too far' for a super? I just felt like asking because I feel like it's an important part of the background at least.
Alister inspected Richard's eyes, searching for any hint of mockery. Somewhat to his annoyance, he didn't find any. Realizing that his friendly demeanor wouldn't help him here, he attempted to put on as serious a face as he could.
"I don't know what kind of thugs you've got around here, mate, but as it turns out international criminals tend not to play games. They're serious men in a serious business, and they don't take no for an answer. When I started my career I used a metal staff to fight my battles. Now I use a sword, and I didn't make the change for stylistic purposes -- if you want to stop those men you need to send them a message. And the only message they'll accept is death."
He realized that his statement would probably be poorly received, especially with his tone, so he decided to add an addendum. However, he quickly lost control.
"I'm not a heartless man, but I don't feel pity when I see the color drain from a man who just killed a class of school children he had been using for hostages. I don't feel pity when a man slaughters a village because he doesn't find what he wants. I don't feel pity when a man kills someone for INCONVENIENCING him, and leaves a newborn child with no father!"
Alister's eyebrows jumped as he realized just how personal he'd gotten. He coughed and backed up a bit.
"I'm sorry about that. But what I was trying to say was that, uh, sometimes... a man deserves to die for the things he's done."
Fullmetal Alchemist is coming on, so I'm off for the night.
I believe we are along the lines of the Justice League. An autonomous law enforcement agency recognized by governments and police forces the world over. Overboard for the society would be killing an innocent for the most part. That or if hostages die it falls on our heads.
Richard was taken aback but not offended at what Alister said.
"Calm down, I just didn't know if you'd seen action or killed before considering you are new here. For many, myself included, this was our first go at the superhero game and we knew nothing of what to expect. I was basically an arms dealer to armies of the first world before this so I knew more than most about death, but still. Wasn't meant to be me questioning your conviction, just advising you don't pick a side unless you'd actually done anything before. Good to know someone with actual experience is joining though. I'm sorry to have offended though." Richard replied, doing his best to calm Alister down.
Tommy didn't pay much attention to how Katie blew right past him, he did feel a tingle on the back of his skull as if something wasn't right, Katie usually at least said something, maybe she's just eager to meet the new recruits. Tommy shrugged it off, he was just on edge. He began walking around the grounds, smelling the air, he found his way to the garden, lying down in the shade of a tree he looked up at the clouds and began picking out shapes.
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