Archer flinched a bit at the "responses" he got. First was Chester, who offered an obligatory snide remark that Archer elected to simply ignore. Seriously, most of the people here were still mourning Robin and he chooses to act like a snarky jackass? Archer just sighed with exasperation and awaited a real answer from either Batman or Wildcat. Unfortunately, the answers Wildcat offered weren't much better than Chester's, in fact they were arguably worse.
He answered Archer's school question by going off on a tirade about the general state of Gotham City. This made the ice-man frown, and feel guilty, as if Wildcat's rant was somehow placing blame for Gotham's state solely on Archer himself for some reason. Great, because Archer totally didn't feel like crap already, the older hero's snappy responses were really only making him feel worse. And of course, there was the snap response Wildcat gave about Archer's suit. Wonderful, now Archer felt like he was being ungrateful on top of everything else. Archer didn't answer, but he did sort of shrink and turn his back in shame.
Excuse me for living. Was the only thing Archer could even think right then. He still didn't say anything, for fear of pissing off Wildcat any more than he apparently already had.
The next several days were slow and arduous for Archer. Between not fully recovering from what happened to Robin, and his new-found fear of getting yelled at or beaten by Wildcat, Archer began to think that no one would blame him if he just up and quit. But he didn't. The honor of Robin's memory was riding on all of this and Archer had already let the Boy Wonder down once before. He made up his mind that he simply refused to quit, no matter how harsh or rough it was.
Outside of training, Archer elected to be alone. Memories of the fateful night still haunted him, and he honestly couldn't understand how everyone else could go back to being so cheerful and happy-go-lucky. Archer still honestly felt like crap, and knew that he probably still would for a while yet. That was how mourning usually worked, though the processes also tended to differ from person to person as well.
"Another day... and then another night with Drill Sergeant Wildcat. I can hardly wait." he said as he walked from school to the Gym. When he entered he found others had already gotten there. He didn't really say anything though, instead going straight for his locker so he could suit up. At least today he could already be suited up by the time Wildcat started barking orders. Maybe that would make him act less angry at everyone? Not likely, but Archer sure as hell wasn't going to start getting on the older man's bad side, especially when said older man could pretty easily take on the whole team by himself at this point.
Archer went through that whole week feeling like crap. A nasty mix between guilt and self-doubt. Not only had he let Robin down, but the Boy Wonder was dead on top of that. During the days leading up to that night, Archer had gained so much confidence. He'd met the hero he considered his role model, and not only that, but said hero asked Archer to join his team. That was honestly the kind of dream-come-true that only happened in the movies. And what did Archer do? He blew it, big time. Got Robin killed, and it was all his fault. It wasn't actually his fault, of course, but good luck telling that to Archer, since through that whole week he was utterly convinced that he was indeed to blame.
And then... the letter. What was he supposed to do? If the letter was from one of his would-have-been teammates, he couldn't just ignore it. So here he was, among everyone Robin had recruited at a Gym, with Wildcat and The Dark Knight himself staring them down. Archer honestly expected some kind of lecture, but then they were shown an underground bunker area of the gym. Why would Batman and Wildcat be showing them this? It didn't exactly dawn on Archer what was happening at first, but when it did the realization hit like a ton of bricks. They were getting a second chance? Batman actually saw fit to give him a second chance?
He heard Batman mention the name of his school for some reason, but Archer was still stunned with surprise and as such didn't exactly respond. In fact the only thing that got him to snap out of it, finally, was Wildcat barking at everyone to suit up. Archer then found a locker with his name on it and retrieved a suit from it. Now, Robin had originally helped Archer make a suit before, but this was clearly not quite the same. For one thing, it was mostly black with light blue highlights, whereas the one Robin had gave him was mostly white instead to match his ice powers. Batman clearly preferred a stealth-oriented suit, and Archer wasn't argue with the Caped Crusader over the matter either. He obediently put the suit on and looked himself over in a mirror. Was he imagining things or did his suit somehow remind him of Firestorm of all people? It was definitely the mask, since the thing looked like a literal recolor of Firestorm's mask. Was this intentional somehow?
Well, since Wildcat warned them all not to keep him waiting, Archer decided to adhere to the warning and get back out to where he waited. Before he left the mirror, he noted the presence of a "z" on his belt and the stylized z etched on his shoulder and chest. It must have stood for "Zero", which was a name Archer admittedly didn't come up with on his own. In fact he took the name on Robin's suggestion, and he supposed that Batman must have also liked the suggestion based on the design of the suit. In any case, Zero now found himself standing in front Batman and Wildcat once again, this time suited up. Two of the girls sounded like they were about to argue, and he wisely decided to stay far away from that one, having learned long ago to never ever get in the middle of a catfight.
"So um..." Archer started to say, "...why is everyone getting transferred to my school of all places?" it wasn't exactly a pressing question, but he was curious. He also decided to satisfy one other curiosity of his, "Oh and... why does my mask make me look like Firestorm of all people? I mean... I'm an ice guy so... looking like a fire guy seems a bit strange."
That's because it didn't catch on like Power Rangers did. Well that, and the show itself was rather horrid. Like Power Rangers, Masked Rider was adapted from a Japanese franchise: Kamen Rider (specifically Kamen Rider Black RX). Kamen Rider is still going strong even today in Japan. There was another adaptation in 2009 called Kamen Rider Dragon Knight if you're ever curious, but yeah.
My characters currently are a Meta Hero, Mental Power with Hand Blast weapons and a Magic Villain, Sorcery Power with Martial Arts weapons. They are Scarlet Starshade and Alphonse Kazam respectively.
As for where I was... erm... I must not have noticed those, sorry. Though I've never actually seen Ultraman yet (I've heard of it, certainly), I'm more of a Kamen Rider guy myself.
Meta Detection, ie, the super power of stating the obvious. Guys, I totally sense that Superman can, stay with me on this, fly! No seriously, he can fly! I can sense that about him! What do mean, you can all see for yourselves that he's flying right there in front of us? No really, I sense it, guys!
Powers: A textbook Cryomancer, Archer can "create" objects made of ice by lowering the temperature around him and using moisture in the air as his main source of ice. His ice-powers could very well run deeper than that, but if it does he has yet to discover it, having only just now began to get the hang of creating ice objects. The objects he creates are, more often than not, simple blunt weapons like bats and hammers, or basic stabbing weapons like knives and javelins. His cryomancy allows him near immunity to cold weather and other extreme cold temperatures, as well, meaning he could go on missions to the South Pole with no need to dress more warmly.
Weaknesses: His ice is almost exclusively reliant on some form of water source to work with. He can usually get by using moisture in the air, but should he find himself in, say, a burning building, then the lack of water in the air can handicap him unless he happens to have a jug of water to work with. He's also found that his powers work best so long as he remains well-hydrated, as a lack of hydration can weaken the amount of ice he can manipulate. Just as he is nearly immune to cold temperatures, the inverse is true of hot temperatures, though not to same extremes as the likes of Mister Freeze, since Archer can at least go out in warm weather with no threat to his life. Extremely hot environments, such as scorching deserts or a volcanic mountain on the other hand can leave him powerless to do anything until he is moved to a cooler location.
Equipment: Apart from the standard stuff, Batman has made sure that the material of Archer's suit has as much heat resistance as possible. It doesn't completely alleviate the problem with hot environments, but it certainly provides a considerable buffer between the heat and Archer's body.
Appearance
Personality: Archer is, for the most part, a good enough kid. If he sees a mugging on the street or even bullying at school, he won't hesitate to take it upon himself to stop said activity. After getting his powers, he's become even more brazen with these acts, becoming almost cocky. Lately, since Robin's death, Archer has begun second guessing himself more often, his previous confidence shattered by the death of his team leader. Regardless, he's determined to pick up the pieces and start over again, if for nothing else than for the memory of Robin.
Password: Titan
BRIEF Bio: Born in Gotham City, Archer used to be more timid when he smaller. The general danger of living in Gothom City can do that to a kid. Of course, Batman has since made the city much safer than it used to be. Batman's crusade against crime was inspirational, but it was the appearance of his partner, Robin, that really changed Archer's personality. After all, if a kid around his own age could be brave enough to take on corruption, than why shouldn't Archer himself do the same? Of course, he would never have actually fought crime, but he did finally start standing up to his bullies, protecting himself and other kids they picked on. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Once he was in High School, Archer's life changed again. It was during one of Mister Freeze's attempts to bring an Ice Age to Gotham. When the attack came, Archer was walking home from school, passing by a small chemical lab. Mister Freeze's sudden attack covered chunks of Gotham City into a Winter Wonderland, Archer's location included. But in the midst of bombardment of cold, some barrels of discarded chemicals burst open, and their contents splashed all over Archer before the freeze blast briefly froze him. Emphasis on "brief" because within moments, Archer was able break himself free, discovering that he didn't feel any of the cold at all, despite the lack of winter clothes. From there he discovered he could manipulate the moisture in the air and freeze it into ice shapes.
Robin found him not long after that. The Boy Wonder explained that he was planning to start a team called the Teen Titans, and that Archer with his powers would make an excellent addition. It was practically a dream come true, and Archer joined without a second thought. He had no idea just what fate had in store. Soon after that was when Deadshot and Multiplex attacked. The team escaped, though not without casualty. Robin was dead. Robin, one of the first teen superheroes ever to done a cape, and student of the freaking Batman no less. Archer was shaken, to be sure, and even briefly considered giving up the notion of saving people. But then, he received the message, a text on his phone that led him to a gym where Batman and Wildcat were waiting. If fate saw fit to provide Archer a second chance, then it would have been a disservice to the memory of Robin to not accept the offer.
It was a normal enough day as Archer walked home from school. Huh, school. Not too long ago, his grades would have been the most important thing in his world. Not anymore, though, not by a long shot. His world completely changed on the day he got his powers. Now things like school felt completely pointless, but even so he had to keep up appearances, so he continued going. His grades took a hit, though, his new-found night life offered very little in the way of free time that, previously, would have been used for homework and the like. Still, he at least managed to maintain a passing grade so he wouldn't flunk.
As he walked, he heard sounds coming from an upcoming alleyway. It sounded like shouting of some sort. Archer ran ahead, stopping to press himself against the building corner. He peeked around and saw a man standing behind another man, appearing to gesture at him while the other had his hands up. A mugging if Archer ever saw one. In Gotham City such a thing was sadly very common. But not today, that mugger picked the wrong alley on the wrong day to commit this crime. Archer ducked into a crawlspace behind a dumpster. There, he removed the top layer of his clothes, revealing a black suit underneath. He'd taken to wearing it under his normal clothes whenever he could, so changing personas was quick and easy affair most of the time. He retrieved his belt and mask from his backpack, put them on, then made his presence known. Well, not after throwing a baseball made of ice at the mugger's hand, knocking the pistol from his grip.
"Wrong alley, wrong day, pal." said Archer as he leaped from his hiding spot and landed an ice-covered punch across the mugger's jaw. At that point it became as easy as trapping the man's hands and feet against the pavement with ice while his intended victim ran away shouting a thanks to Zero, the costumed meta that just saved him, "Guess I'm done here. Why don't you just chill out here a while until the cops show up?" he said before walking away. Oh yeah, he knew his little pun was a terrible one, but hey, at least it was one of the bad guys that had to suffer through it this time.