Quick wits, once again, saved the day!  And good thing, too.  No matter what form the insipid changeling took, Elliot hated the idea of having to put up with his self-assured tomfoolery any more than was absolutely necessary to maintain the premise of being a good little Ward.  He did not relish Ira falling short –though when matched against him in a battle of the minds, it was inevitable- but he did relish freedom from Protean’s bothersome games.  He did really wonder if he planned to punish her severely for such an insignificant error, which would be fittingly monstrous and expected of the ‘hero’, but in the back of his mind he felt sure that in her failing she deserved what came her way.

In fact, nothing came her way, and Protean turned to try and sting the rest of the Wards instead.  With a heroic effort, Elliot managed to suppress the curl of his lip.  [i]Congratulations, Einstein.  You’ve outsmarted us poor saps by giving every indication that we were supposed to do something on pain of actual physical trauma and then turned around to tell us what failures we were for doing as we were told.  By your leadership, is my character built![/i]  Of course, Elliot knew the moral of the story.  Teammates were supposed to watch out and stand up for one another—apparently, against a senior hero, if this lesson was something to go on.  Idly Elliot wondered if the director would respond favorably to a Ward enacting today’s lesson.  Of course, an outcast despised by his comrades did not need to play along with this nonsense; he only needed their backs as stepping stones.  Protean’s ‘reward’ made Elliot cringe.  Did the amorphous idiot really think that would incentivize him?  [i]Not all of us are five-year-olds, big shot.[/i]  He crossed his arms and waited to be dismissed, preparing to put on a sorry face to show he’d learned his lesson.

Instead, breaking news came out of nowhere.  Or rather, it came from a radio in the form of Decoy, bearing the latest happenings.  Evidently a gaggle of goonish villains had appeared and taken a couple heroes to task, but one of the despicable ne’er-do-wells had been heroically apprehended and would soon be squeezed for information.  For a moment, while the information was still being delivered, Elliot considered with some consternation that the Wards would be tasked with stepping in where their seniors failed, which would be –to put it succinctly- moronic if not suicidal.  Protean decided to make them watch the interrogation, however, which sat well enough with Elliot.  Any goody two-shoes worth his salt would use a magic lasso or truth serum to get the goods, but he suspected that things might get a little more real.  Such an eventuality would help de-sensitize him a touch more, for the ordeal with Collin had demonstrated that Elliot’s nerve was still lacking, and perhaps also serve as a rude awakening for the more idealistic of his fellow Wards.  Putting on a more interested face, Elliot stepped forward to join the movement.  [color=8F9779]“An interrogation, in the flesh!  Not every novice is afforded such a valuable educational experience.  I shall train my eyes on this vandal, and the excision of his knowledge.”[/color]