It struck Nathan in that moment, the reality of The Sovereign, while they were beloved heroes, they were also undeniably terrifying. Though Nathan knew - or hoped perhaps that he was unlikely to be harmed even in the worst case - the unyielding gaze of Valor, likely the least powerful team member still made him feel markedly vulnerable. 

Valor seemed to watch for something in his reaction, though he was careful not to betray anything. Valor had the face of an old soldier, although he couldn’t have been much older than his forties - cold blue eyes that seemed to stare through him that were hardened, as though he’d seen more horrors than even Nathan could know.

After a moment, the hero broke his gaze, looking back to face his team.

 “The lad is a child, and we’re here to…what?” he spoke, voice firm - almost accusing as he addressed the rest of The Sovereign, eyes narrowed in an expression that spoke to judgement bordering on genuine disgust. 

“Debate his placement amongst the world's foremost special forces team?” His back was to Nathan now, and his voice raised so that it was hardly below a yell.

“Because that’s what we are. I loved the ‘Star as much as the rest of you. Don’t let the costumes and nicknames fool you about the nature of this job. Bang-up lad, real hero and all that, but let’s not act like this,” he gestured at Kid Rocket, 

“This is his thing. We don’t do this. We can’t do this. We’re down a member, one of us is dead you’d all like to what - expose a child to the very life that killed him?”

Nathan felt…taken aback, his mind almost reeling from the switch of mental tracks from the idea that he was the source of the anger, to the realization that in fact it was on his behalf. Still, it bothered him - more doubt in his abilities being sewn.

“I’m - it’s,” he began, struggling to find the right words in his defense, anger blossomed in him at that, the sense that he was only supporting Valor’s point by stumbling over his words making his blood want to boil.

“I’m not just some kid, I’m Kid Rocket,” he did his best to make sure his voice was unwavering, trying to inject confidence into each word as Valor turned on him, eyes narrowed and expression unamused.

“I’ve - I’ve seen more suffering than I can ever hope to forget. I’ve risked my life more times than I can count. You don’t…you don’t get to just…sideline me. I’m not stopping. I don’t care if you all won’t train me to join you, I won’t stop. I have a legacy to uphold. Me, not you all, me. And don’t act like - like he was wrong to train me,” his tone hardened, and his eyes met Valor’s.

“He was a hero. He knew the sacrifice he was making and that the city had to be protected in his absence.”

It was as though all the thoughts he’d been struggling to keep in, the anger at the constant doubt he felt from within and outside had found an outlet in Valor.

“That’s all well and good, isn’t it, lad? My problem isn’t your being his protege; it’s with you being a child,” he said, turning to face the others again. I cannot in good faith be a part of this. Whatever choice you all make, I’ll be no party to it.”

“Clarke,” Flashbang began, but Valor only waved her away in frustration, 

“Don’t ‘Clarke’ me right now. You’re encouraging this madness, after what happened to -” his voice trailed off, and Nathan could see something was bothering him.

“Clarke,” she continued, “I know how you feel about the sidekick thing, but this isn’t -” she sighed, “The boy isn’t Squire. He’s built for the pressures of this, I think.”

Valor's eyes narrowed at the mention of a name Nathan hadn’t heard in years when he’d found him in a pack of mask collectible cards. Squire had been Lord Valor’s sidekick, all those years ago when the man had begun his costumed antics, just to disappear seemingly without reason, never to be seen in public again.

“Ah, and you’d be willing to be his life - is sanity on it, would you?” his voice was almost accusatory, “Do you think I didn’t believe the same to be true of Randy? Do you think I’d have risked him if I knew - if I knew where it would push him? You can’t know.”

“Valor,” it was The Savior now, and when he spoke there was a clear shift in the mood, “That is enough. I am sympathetic to your disapproval and understand your reasoning, however, Darkstar was one of us and I think there exists little doubt as to what he would have wanted.”

Valor scoffed, glaring across the table at the world's most powerful man for a few moments before relenting, staring at any of his teammates for support.

There would be none found. Dathak looked simply uninterested, picking things from the mass of hair and beard that seemed to merge into one big mane on his face, while Professor Kraken only watched Nathan - those unreadable eyes seeming to never once drift from his face.

“Fuck it,” he scoffed, throwing up his hands as he turned to leave the hall, “Enjoy sending the lamb off to slaughter, “heroes”. I’ll be getting in some practice because not all of us are bulletproof able to teleport away from danger,”

He shot them a withering glare as exited.

“Some of us are stock flesh and blood, and we die easy.”

The following seconds seemed thick with tension, uneasy and awkward for Nathan as he stood before the table, now with a second open seat.

“My apologies, Nathan,” The Savior spoke, and his voice was like a balm to his wounded pride, that unusual comforting effect pouring over him.

“Lord Valor is as noble a hero as they come, but vocal. He bears you no ill will, please understand. He simply has a way of understanding what we do here - a code of his own. “

He wondered if it was intentional, knowing there was no way to tell without asking, something he decided against. He liked The Savior, trusted him even, as much as he could given the task at hand, but there was something about the man that made him so easy. It was like speaking with a living nuclear bomb, the fact that it could destroy you on a whim was never able to linger too far from one's mind.

“I understand,” he said, though the interaction bothered him still.

“Let me say, we would be honored to have you among us for the time being. Darkstar was the closest thing I’ve ever had to a friend, and to ensure his ward receives the proper training and his city remains protected are duties I accept upon myself.”

“Thank you, Savior,” Nathan spoke, and despite the nature of his reason for being there, it was a genuine sentiment.

The Savior was the world's most famous hero, powerful beyond reason and good beyond limit, so they said. While Nathan had always looked up to Darkstar the most, as any boy from Kingsport had, he bore no shortage of admiration towards the other hero.

“I - I’m going to do my best to make sure I do him justice.”

Perhaps, by exposing one of you for having a hand in his death.

The thought almost felt foreign, and it took all he had to keep the unease it gave him off of his face.

The Savior simply nodded, smiling a solemn yet pleasant smile.

“These matters do require a vote, majority rules. All in favor of accepting young Kid Rocket as a trainee to The Sovereign say aye. All opposed, nay.”

There were nods around the table, and Nathan felt as though the air had left the room, his role in this plan - the responsibilities given to him by Tracy all hinging on a vote he could do little to alter.

Dathak?” The Savior began, indicating the hulking Neanderthal warrior on his left.

“Aye. Darkstar was honorable warrior, fought better than most weak man. We shall know if the boy is warrior too.” He spoke, voice a rumble that sounded like shifting earth and the passage of hundreds of years.

“Aye,” Flashbang echoed, across from the beast of a man. “Valor will - he’ll come around. You’re a good kid, I believe. And you’ll make a great hero.”

He nodded, smiling beneath the mask, and nodding his appreciation to Flashbang.

“Dr. Poder?” The Savior spoke, his attention settling on Kraken. 

The man’s tentacles swayed and twitched, and though Nathan couldn’t quite read the emotions behind that face, morphed inhuman and unfamiliar due to the experiments responsible for the man’s abilities, he thought he could see a bit of agitation in it.

He muttered something inaudible to Nathan, voice muffled and watery, before glancing between Savior and Flashbang.

“I suppose it’s no matter,” he began, “Even if I were to reject this, that would be two against and three for, a majority is in favor.”

“And do you reject this?” The Savior asked.

He shrugged. Nathan watched the man closely, Tracy’s suspicion seeming almost to have been contagious as he waited for the octopus-man to speak, as though at any moment he may slip up and reveal some detail…whatever detail it was he was looking for.

“I suppose. The boy seems…determined. It seems a great deal more likely some harm befalls her outside of our purview than under it. Yay.”

“It is a yay from me, as well. Kid Rocket, step forward,” 

Nathan did so, heart strumming nauseatingly as he moved closer to the table. The various heroes rose, almost in unison.

“Nathan Neal,” he started, and hearing his full name caught the boy off guard though he did his best not to show it.

“Do you swear to answer the call whenever and wherever it may be? To pledge your strength, life, and allegiance to the defense of all those incapable of defending themselves? Do you swear to stand amongst The Sovereign as a paragon of morality and representation of heroism?”

“I - y - yeah, I do.”

The Savior’s smile grew, eyes burning that familiar gold momentarily as he lifted off of the ground, arms outspread. 

“Then welcome. Take your place at the table, and amongst the world's mightiest - Kid Rocket, take your place among The Sovereign.”

Enjoy this moment, something told him, a silent voice that almost felt foreign.

This little dream is bound to come crumbling down.

 . . .

The reality of it all had yet to settle in as Nathan attempted to do just that. His room was massive, larger even than his other at the Neal Manor, a vast expanse of the same stylized marble and concrete as the rest of the building, that made it feel less like any sort of barracks he’d expected, and more the sort of room fit for an ancient prince or roman emperor. 

Nathan wanted to be taken aback, to fall into the sheer awe of his circumstances yet felt unable to do so, the lingering feeling that the reason he’d been sent here would be the reason all of this was lost to him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he may be about to make enemies of The Sovereign somehow, and it horrified him.

He crossed the room, pulled open the doors to the balcony, and stepped out. It overhung a small lake at the back of the building, in front of one of the mountains ringing the island, the scene far too picturesque for the darkness he felt billowing within.

“Alert. Alert.” He whirled about, caught off-guard by the voice - a tinny female tone that seemed to echo from all around before he realized the room had some sort of inbuilt comms system.

“Apocalypse-tier red event reported in Bali, Indonesia, multi-villain attack imminent, casualties and destruction reported. Immediate deployment of The Sovereign requested by local government.” 

He stifled a gasp as he processed what he was hearing, the implications settling and leaving goosebumps across his skin. Apocalypse-tier events were as bad as it got. Attacks from continent-devouring monsters, or otherworldly invaders. There was only one group of villains he could think of that would call for such an alert, and the thought was a deeply troublesome one.

He pulled the balaclava back up, just in time for the door the open, revealing The Savior stood in his doorway. The sight of him made Nathan stand up straighter, the expression her bore stern yet….appraising? Behind him Flashbang popped into place, a shock of blue light announcing her arrival.

“Are you ready to deploy, Kid Rocket?” The Savior asked, eyes blazing and aura aglow. 

He wants to see what I’m made of. The realization was simultaneously frightening and yet stoked something in Nathan - a familiar feeling.

I’ll show him then.

“Who is it?” he asked, though he felt he already knew “Who are we fighting?”

“The Unforgiven.” 

He nodded, swallowing hard against the knot he felt forming at the name. The Unforgiven was infamous, the only collection of villains who could be seen as a formidable challenge for The Sovereign, a collection of some of their worst rogues united only in seeing the team destroyed.

The Dancer was a member at times, and the realization filled Nathan with an urge to fight the likes of which he had felt on that night.

“I’m ready.”

Flashbang was behind him in an instant, a hand gripping his shoulder. They were gone in the next.

As the world returned to being, Nathan could feel the heat beneath his costume, gnawing, rending at his very flesh - and he saw only fire.