Treason (Titans, Attendance is Mandatory)

Yang sat in a chair in the main ops room, she was typing something up on the database computer. After a moment of thought, she realized just how poorly this could all go, and decided it was best to back everything up. A lot. Personal files, dossiers, everything had to be saved. They did have a technopath on the team after all. After everything was properly saved, she pressed a button on the keyboard, signalling out an alarm that demanded everyone to the Main Ops room.

"I'm gonna be honest. I'm kinda disappointed." She said when they all got there. When she stood up and looked over them, she was missing an arm. The grim reminder of everything she had tried to tell them about the Zydons. That they were at war. And of course she was the only one to sustain such a loss...figures.

"There were literally two people out of all of us with the sense required to register with the new government..." She sighed and played the news broadcast from that morning. About how everyone was...almost afraid of the Titans. They didn't like them anymore, they didn't believe in them anymore. "Look, I know how you guys feel about this new government guy. I get you don't think he's on the up and up and...skepticism can be good....in small doses. Do I say we blindly trust him? No. But if you can't prove it...and you honestly think something's wrong...go along with it. Don't cause incidents. Don't make people panic."

That was the worst of it. The people, the panic, all of it. "It's just...I joined the Titans because I wanted to help people. I want them to feel safe. That's why I do this. If they don't feel safe until I register, so be it. I will do so, and I'd expect all of you to do the same unless you've completely stopped caring about them!" She sat on the counter behind her and almost crossed her arms. Oh...right. "Either step forward and register with us, or you can leave now and drop off your keys at the door. Your choice."

A voice came through the ops center. "You know... I'm disappointed in you too. I figured you would know the network well enough to know it won't be that easy." the familiar voice came through. All of a sudden... that little file transfer she had been working on blinked off. After about 2 minutes of her looking in, hotwire had been alerted, and new what was up. He stopped it in it's tracks. Everything she had just done was just a dummy transfer set up by hotwire. In the meantime, all of the other titans were notified of the situation and told to converge on the Ops room.

In addition, hotwire's beautiful chibi face would pop up on the screen and play a fanfare. Hotwire would lean against the wall entrance.

"You're wrong about this Yang. What's going on here... it's not justice. Not at all. Something's wrong with all of this. A total takeover and secession within the month? It doesn't make sense no matter how you slice it."  He said before walking into the light. "The titans have made their choice. We care about the people. And that's why we won't accept such rapid change. Rapid change in the wrong hands can lead to more suffering down the road."

Yang stood on the other side of the table of her apparent successor. She'd clearly chosen the wrong person. "Dom, come on. Change isn't a bad thing, not always. Is it weird? Yeah. But doesn't it make sense that you can't protect people if they're afraid of you? If they want you dead?" She sighed and put her hand on the table.

So the transfer got messed up eh? No problem. She had some already, that was just a formality. "Think about what you're doing Dominic. You're alienating everyone from you. If something comes up, wouldn't it even be better to be CLOSE to the enemy? For them to trust you?" Then again, none of these teens were one for strategy. So this was probably falling upon deaf ears.

"Look...the point is...you're a criminal if you do this Dom. I will treat you like one. You could come back...but..." She sighed and shook her head. "I made the wrong choice to make you leader in my absence. You're putting your own skepticism before the people. Get out."

"Crossing the Rubicon here huh?" Hotwire said with a slight shrug. "We'll be leaving, but we need a little time. This is still our home until then. And you aren't welcome." He said. It hurt him to say these next words. A small tear rolled down his face, as his arm trembled a bit. But he managed to make it point out to her. He choked out a bit.

"T-ti-"

His face hardened and he yelled it as loud as he could.

"Titans! Go!"

A wave of fire enveloped the entire corridor as a loud roar could be heard in the background. Yang and everyone on the team probably already knew who it was. The first to strike and last to leave in any battle.

Spoiler:

"You threaten to kick me out! And call me traitor!?" Kale roared as he burst into the room, fire licking the walls as his face looked menacing. It had taken him all he could muster to contain himself from her comments. Hotwire had calmed him assuring Kale that if she didn't yield he would get to take care of her personally.

He turned to the side and showed her his arm with the Titan symbol tattooed on the shoulder.  "I follow this team, and I follow our leader. You who abandoned us," Kale said taking stance. "You Can DISAPPEAR! BLAZING WING SLASH!!"

The Titan vs Titan beef had begun, and Kale was the first to strike by flapping his arms and causing two flaming whips to extend and lash at Yang the width of coffee tables.

Yang glared at Kale. He was never bright. Shed only caught a little chunk of what Lux had said because of it. "I abandoned you...is that what you call it?" When the whips hit Yang she shook her head, the flames disappearing around her and remaining contained. "You never were that bright Kale." She growled under her breath. "So you turn your back on the girl who actually wanted to give you a shot instead of calling you a psychotic freak? And rather than use strategy and maybe investigate these people from within you're just going to dismiss the chance." She was walking toward Kale now. With a purpose. "Well here's the thing you cinder-brained idiot. I don't need my arm to beat you." Yang didn't even realize how much she was superheating in her rage. And now...now she honestly didn't have much she could do. The main issue was that Kale was still above all her friend. Could she lock his mouth up? Easy. Could he hurt her after she did so? Not in the least. But...she still didn't quite want to...

Flux gave her speech. Hotwire was amazed. She had a strong set of morals. She pointed out how likely it was for it all to go down hill. Yang was going for the keep your enemies close and your enemies closer approach. The problem was, in a time like this, the enemy was liable to try the same tactic. This kind of subterfuge required them to be on the outside looking in.

Hotwire looked down at the situation unfolding. "It was a mistake to come here Yang. We don't want to hurt you. Just accept that we've chosen our path, cut your losses and leave." He said. But it didn't look like she was going to be cooperative. He said to both Kale and Flux "Please escort our trespasser off our property. No lethal force. Just incapacitate her." He stated looking around. "The rest should be here any minute now." He said scanning Yang for any technology she had on her person. If she had any of their files... he needed to know.

Yang approached the dragonborn Titan, her words infuriating him even more. "What's that you said!?" Kale growled. He banged his head against Yang's as they glared at each other. Blood trickled down his forehead as he grinded it against hers. "Don't think I fear you human." Kale clenched his fists, causing veins to pop out all the way up his arm. "You lecture me on your ethics on battle strategy." Kale gritted his teeth/fangs. "I find the creatures on this planet to be more sound morally than you Earthlings." Kale could feel the heat from her body, however he was lit up like a human torch as well, both of them weren't backing down because they were strong in their convictions. "At least they truly know what being part of a pack is." The heat emanating off the two of them could be felt from across the room until the water drenched both of them causing a thick cloud of steam to envelop the immediate area.

It was an almsot comical way of cooling the two off. Meanwhile, Flux talked. Kale looked away. She had said she trusted him before and had not made a move to attack him. She had not backed down from him even with one arm and Kale respected that about her. She was his comrade still, he wouldn't attack her again unless provoked. He simply let Flux try to make her leave while taking deep breaths to calm himself.

Haruhi entered the main ops room and leaned on the wall beside the doorway as she listened intently to everyone, especially to the one-armed, blonde teen that stood in front of everyone. She had heard part of the conversation already in the elevator, as she made her way to the room, with her enhanced hearing. Haruhi had never met nor seen her in person, but she had a glimpse of an image of her when Hotwire was going through the Titan's database. As Haruhi listened, she found out that the girl had apparently once been the leader of the team, but according to Kale had abandoned the them.

Haruhi didn't say anything, flux and the others had already made their point, and Haruhi agreed with them. She just stood back and waited to see if the girl would leave or fight. And if she was to fight, Haruhi was there to back up Hotwire, Flux and Kale.

Ravian walked in "Oh...we're doing this already? Crap." he said, his eyes shifting to have a slight glow as he made sure nothing new had gone in with either of their powers. He didn't see anything big....Yang was missing an arm still, but that was...sorta old news, still rather recent. He really hoped the other heroes didn't attack a girl with one arm. That would be low. "I don't see why you guys are making such a big deal about this. Do any of you even have a secret identity? Kale doesn't, that's for sure, Flux's identity is probably useless anyways, she can be anyone and Hotwire. You and the new girl don't even wear masks." he said calmly, though he was honestly confused.

"Anyone with access to the internet knows our powers from phone videos...what's the problem?" he said, then paused. "Either way. I'm not leaving. I didn't do anything wrong. I made a personal choice. You don't have control of me." he floated into the air, his eyes glowing slightly. "Step away from Yang too." he said, floating until he was directly beside her. "To be clear, talking to you Flux." he said.

"If you try to force me out of the tower, for my choice. Not forcing you all to do anything." he took a deep breath "You'll regret it swiftly. That's a promise."

Wait...Ravian registered? Seriously? Everything Muse said made perfect sense though, absolutely perfect sense. "He's right you know. Most of us don't even use masks, or hoods, or anything really. We're not gonna be puppets, we register and go on with our lives. We help people, and if they need our help they call us just like everyone else used to. Nothing changes." She stood by Ravian and sighed, activating the gauntlet on her one good arm.

"Guys...I don't wanna fight any of you. I really don't. But Rav is right. We aren't leaving just because we're following a new law. If you're going to leave, do it. Turn in your communicators and get out." The girl evidently wasn't happy about what she was saying. It looked like it really pained her, but she wasn't going to drop this.

"Sorry Yang. We're not the same titans anymore. You say we wouldn't become puppets if we register. But how do you know that's true. Governments like this... with control like this... small at first... it's setting the stage for something bigger. And when the bomb goes off, we need to be survive to clean up the fallout."

Hotwire gave a long look at Yang. "We won't stand in your way. We will be leaving. Just not yet. We need three days. Tops. Then we're gone." He said. He looked to Lux, who seemed to be itching to force them out then and there. "We don't want to force you two out. We just ask that for the next couple days, you stay out of our way, and we stay out of yours. No heroics. Just packing."

He finally looked to Kale. "Stand down Brave." he sharply said. Tensions were high. One wrong move... and boom.