Refugee Camp (Open)

The city had been hit hard. Very hard. The Russians had attacked with little warning, pounding Jump City with weaponry unseen, followed by the appearance of mysteriously similar superhumans whom fought for the Russian army. Not only were the Californians boxed in by the invaders, but many had lost their homes in the primary attack. Thus, they had to be housed and protected. The solution was the Titans Stadium, a massive field with a strong roof made of steel and reinforced glass. There was plenty of room, and at this moment beds were being set up in the field for the refugees to sleep in.

Granted, the glass and steel would not keep out missiles. But William Dean wasn't sloppy about this. Surrounding the entire building was a strong energy barrier, a STAR Labs design commissioned by Mr. Dean himself. It would keep out the Russians for a long time indeed. Following the attack on the bridge, William had been quick to act; his first step was hastily registering as a hero, to be able to fight without possible legal dispute; the second was to gather as many refugees as possible and bring theme here. The shield was already en route the moment the bridge was hit, a part of one of Dean Industry's contingency plans.

Right now, the citizens were rather shaken, many of them survivors of the subsequent Russian attacks. Quite a few simply felt safer here. Regardless, some were milling about the stands, trying to find friends and family amongst the refugees. William was supervising the Dean Industries armored trucks that were unloading supplies for the survivors; food, blankets, water, among many other things. When he was sure that all of it was unloaded, William traveled up the stairs to the observational area that looked out on the city.

The shield generators lining a perimeter were large, circular, and domed on the top. Not only did they generate the large energy barrier, but each contained a surveillance camera that allowed technicians to see anyone who approached the dome shield, and to let in allies. William turned back into the stadium, looking around. Many of the people knew who he was, by now; they knew him as Colossus, the giant. He found himself pondering how they viewed him, but was soon answered when a young boy approached, with a bandage around his head.

"H-hello mister Colossus...I drew you a p-picture..." the boy said nervously, handing William the piece of paper. William tilted his head and dropped his eyes to look at the picture. It was a crude drawing of the giant, holding up what William guessed was a bridge. He could also see the boy in a boat with what looked to be his mother as they sailed away. William looked back up with a genuine smile. "Thank you for this drawing." The little boy nodded. "A-and thank you for the bridge, mister," he said before running off.

William stared at the child's picture for a bit, before turning to her. Deadlock; he had later learned that this girl was the one who ceased the frigates' fire on the bridge. He was quite thankful for it, he likely would have lost the bridge if not for her. He gratefully shook her hand, gripping it tight a moment before saying, "And thank you for taking care of the cannonfire. I appreciate it."

"You can call me William, by the way," he said to her, smiling. He loosened his grip on her hand before training his eyes on the twelve foot mech, which he assumed was in a rest mode. It was an impressive piece of technology, on par with Colossus himself, and faster to boot. He really was impressed with it.

By now, some superhumans were entering the stadium to help the refugees. William spotted one person tending to the injured as a doctor, and figured he would talk to him- but later. He turned back to Deadlock and said, "It's absolutely crazy, isn't it? We only just became an independent country and we already got attacked."

Regardless of what she said about this, he changed subjects. "Your engineering skills are very impressive. I think you'd be an excellent asset in Dean Industries' technological department...on your own terms, of course. I don't want to force you, just making a proposal."

William listened quietly, eyes wandering over the stadium as he leaned against a pillar. He could understand ground rules- he didn't like giving up his DNA to register, but it was a necessary evil if he was going to continue to fight. So he lived with it, and he could live with this heroine's rules, too.

William nodded to her. "I'll follow your rules. But I have to bring up a few points..." he started to say, still watching the people mill about in the stadium. He turned all the way to face her, continuing his speech.

"Firstly, I acknowledge that you want privacy concerning your inventions. However, if you're going to work for my company, you'll have to share some things. I'll fund all your projects, but I want you to dedicate time to company projects as well."

He continued, "And really, that's it. As long as you contribute to Dean Industries, we shouldn't have any problems. We mostly focus on defense and medical technologies, so I'm sure your ideas can help a great deal."

William watched as more superhumans entered the stadium. He saw two that he remembered from the bridge, the girl with the shield, and the one who he hadn't seen until after the retreat. He was focused a moment on the former, who was staggering about, but he was quickly helped by Deadlock and who he assumed he was an alien, with technology like he had, and his appearance was distinctly inhuman.

The girl was Maverique, as he learned after the attack. She was beckoned to approach by Deadlock, and William also waved her over. "Hey, come join us!"