[center][h1][color=dodgerblue]Wards: After Mission Contemplation[/color][/h1]
[@BCTheEntity][@yoshua171][@solokolos][@Kafka Komedy][@Lugubrious][/center]

Sonar was down. The concrete ground had been stained with his blood and cranial fluid. The Wards each eacted in their own way, showing their own variations of concern. 911 had been called, just as Messiah contacted the PRT directly. In a manner of minutes an EMS had arrived, escorted by a few PRT troopers. The emergency medical workers moved in, relieving Messiah of her position watching over her fallen leader. After that everything had come as a blur. People tried to flood the area to see what had happened, and for the most part had been kept at bay by the PRT and remaining Wards. A news van had arrived and began filming the scene just as Sonar had been loaded up into his ambulance. A few stray media workers attempted to take advantage of the fact that Sonar's helmet had been smashed in a futile effort to photograph his secret identity. Those individuals were promptly arrested. 

Within an hour the Wards, sans their injured leader, had been gathered back in the same conference room they had been in just a few hours earlier. The scene appeared very familiar as each individual took the same seats, but some were missing. Sonar, of course, was in intensive care. Captain Morales and Noble were also noticeably absent. The holographic projection of Decoy took his chair, with Protean nearby and Inkscape as well. Decoy's face was difficult to read, not because it was a light projection, but because he was so damn good at maintaining a neutral expression. Inkscape was clearly saddened despite having such an alien appearance. Protean appeared distant, as though he was someplace else. Truth was he would rather have been anywhere else at that time.

There was no mistaking the emotional state of Director Kens. He stood, not sat, at the head of the table looking down at each of the capes under his command. Though he did not outwardly express anything the very air around him bubbled with the heat of rage and anger. Kens was a short fuse bomb, and that fuse had already been lit. Thankfully, when he spoke, he maintained a calm and pleasant demeanor. His rage would not be taken out on the Wards. Not today.

[b][color=brown]"You all know that I am not one for flowery speeches, nor pomp or circumstance. I am direct. Short and to the point has always been my policy. I am disappointed. The PRT, and by extension the Protectorate and its Wards, are a peacekeeping organization, but a symbol above all else. Today that symbol has failed Denver. Questionable judgments were made, and as a result our most experienced Ward is now three floors down in intensive care. As your team leader it was Sonar's responsibility to report the activity he had found directly to a member of the Protectorate team, or to myself. Instead he gathered you all to go off half cocked and he paid the price. We're lucky that only one of you got hurt. The doctor's report that he received medical assistance quickly enough, so he should be able to recover from his physical injuries assuming the operation goes off without a hitch. We have the quick response of Margrave and Messiah to thank for that. Good job. He shouldn't die. That being said, his actions placed you all in unnecessary danger. It was action without assessment. I'm sure Sonar thought he had gathered all the information he needed and could improvise on the fly, but the results clearly demonstrate otherwise. And that is why, effective immediately, I am decommissioning Sonar from the Wards. If he ever puts on his costume again, it will be as a parahuman unaffiliated with the Protectorate and the PRT."[/color][/b]

The three Protectorate heroes glanced amongst themselves, exchanging worried looks, before Inkscape spoke up. [color=yellow]"Is that really fair, Director? With all due respect, Sonar's actions saved seven hostages from the Community. We still don't know what Patriarch is collecting these people for, and he's hardly in any position to defend himself right now."[/color] Protean nodded in agreement, while Director Kens' brow furrowed.

[color=brown][b]"And in doing so endangered the lives of his team, children, who are able to help far more than seven hostages. I am looking toward the long term, Inkscape. That is why my decision is final. Collin Harrison no longer has a place in this organization. The PRT will pay for all of his medical bills, care for him until his final recovery, and commission a new helmet, but his work here is done."[/b][/color]

This time Decoy was the first to respond. [color=cyan]"I am afraid the argument is a moot point. Collin is done as a cape forever."[/color] Director Kens raised an eyebrow and was about to speak, but Decoy continued in a formal informative tone. [color=cyan]"I am afraid that commissioning a new helmet for him will be improbable at best, and impossible in all likelihood. His helmet was designed by the original tinker, by Hero. Since Hero's death at the hands of the Siberian, few of his technologies have been able to be replicated by other tinkers, including Collin's helmet."[/color]

A stunned silence fell over the room, interrupted by Protean. [color=darkgreen]"What do you mean, babe? What's so important about his helmet?"[/color]

Director Kens took the opportunity to cut in, firmly re-establishing his authority over the various supermen in the room. [b][color=brown]"It means that you haven't been keeping up on the files of the kids you are partly responsible for training. Collin Harrison's powers are uncontrolled. That helmet helps him to filter through the tremendous amount of static and background noise he constantly picks up in order to prevent him from completely losing his mind. Without it, he'll be in a coma as the constant sound assaults his brain from an uncountable number of sources, forcing his body into shutdown. That is the [i]best case scenario.[/i] Worst case he'll be living in constant pain, incapable of telling what's in front of him from what's half a mile away, until he suffers a complete psychotic break."[/color][/b]

Protean's eyes widened, his relaxed position stiffening as he realized the severity. The same realization that all the Wards should have been having. Sonar, Collin, was permanently out of the game. Not just the superheroing, but life itself. He'd either be stuck in a hospital bed unconscious for the remainder of his lifetime, or locked in a padded cell where he can suffer alone without harming anybody else. 

[b][color=brown]"In any case, you'll all be updated with Collin's status once he comes out of the operating room. So I need to transition the topic of discussion to a different avenue of business. With Sonar gone, leadership of the Wards falls to the second in command. Messiah, you are officially promoted to leader of the Wards effective immediately. It is your duty to watch out for your team, call the shots in the absence of a senior Protectorate hero, determine training and patrol schedules, and to report directly to myself and Inkscape. I understand that this is a difficult position you find yourself in, and you all will need some time to decompress and reflect on changes. That being said, I expect to receive your recommendation for a new second in command by the end of tomorrow. You are all dismissed."[/color][/b]

A great deal had happened in a very short period of time. The Wards, while heroes, were still teenagers. No doubt there was a great deal to process for each of them. They now had time to themselves and could spend it however they wished, whether it was to go home and spend time with family, enjoy the facilities at PRT headquarters, bond with teammates, approach the senior heroes, or anything else they desired. The group was not expected to report for any official duties until 8:00 am the next day.