The Meeting

The helicopter approached the private location of the Guardians' headquarters. Inside was one of the top paparazzi in Angel Falls. He had heard that the Guardians were having a general meeting and figured that he could get some great pictures of the heroes, so he rented a chopper to get him close.

Suddenly, the helicopter's radio crackled to life. "Attention. This is the United States Navy. You are approaching a restricted location. Please alter you flight path or we will not be responsible for what happens."

The paparazzi grabbed the mike and said sarcastically, "What are you going to do? Shoot us down?"

The Navy radio operator replied, less formal than before, "Oh, we won't do anything. We'll just sit back and watch how the most powerful people in the city react when you invade their privacy."

The pilot looked over, in shock from the sudden realization. "I think we should turn around." The paparazzi, having come to the same one, didn't argue.

* * * * * *

Gordon Martin, or Raging Bull, sat in the filled meeting hall of the Guardians' HQ. Almost everyone who was a member of the team was in there. He was in his normal form, as he was too nervous to be angry. He had hoped he could sit next to Polygirl, but instead he had been seated with the other new members. The Guardians had let a number of people join the team at the same time as him. There were Lady Liberty and Major Renown, two super-powered patriots; the electrical powered Ms. Blitzen, Elecktra Slyde, and Dynaia; and the aliens Cixutora and Plasmoid. Another heroine named Phyrefrost also joined, but couldn't attend because she was recovering from injuries. Two experienced Guardians, Thunderbird and Herakles, also missed the meeting due to injuries. Doctor Hauptmann, the group's psychiatrist, sat in one of the corners, observing the meeting and taking notes on her electronic notepad. He knew that he had an appointment to see her in a few weeks.

Gordon looked over and saw Polygirl sitting between a short woman with flame-like hair and a teenaged girl with white hair. She hadn't seemed to notice him. He let out a sigh and focused on the proceedings of the meeting. Most of what was being discussed didn't make much sense to him, but he figured it would after he'd been on the team for a while. When the new members of the team were being introduced, most of them were greeted with enthusiasm. However, when he was introduced, the response was more subdued and several members were glaring at him, so he quickly retook his seat.

The meeting soon ended after that. Angelina departed to make her rounds to the hospitals while Cedric Grey left to visit Thunderbird, but the other Guardians moved to the living room. Gordon went and stood in a corner and watched his new teammates interact. White Owl was discussing her future on the team with Mindy Marvel. Magic Wanda was talking with Elecktra Slyde about which TV station provided the best coverage of them.  Meanwhile, General Bardak was studying the young man when Clemence approached him. "So he claimed that his memory has been wiped of any knowledge that could be used to bring down the Canadian Syndicate."

Bardak nodded. "That's what he's told us."

"Do you believe him?" Clemence asked.

Bardak considered the question and then answered, "I believe he still has enough loyalty to his previous employer to preserve his secrets. We need to show him that that loyalty is misplaced, and in time he'll tell us."

"I hope you're right," she said as she walked away. "Because I'm afraid for who'll ending paying if you're wrong."

Gordon looked around but didn't see the object of his affections. Warbuster was standing close to him, talking with the dragon Ryu, so he approached him and said, "Um, excuse me." The armored man turn, and Gordon continued, "Have you seen Polygirl around."

"Yeah, I saw Aria take her and FireBrandi to her room," Warbuster replied.

"Oh," Gordon said, trying to hide his disappointment and failing miserably. As he walked back to the corner, Morgana and Aurum Sol sat down on the couch in front of the television. The gold armored heroine switched it on and a news channel came on.

The volume was loud and so the voice of the newscaster was heard by everyone on the room as he said, "Our Canadian affiliate recently interviewed the parents of Gordon Martin, the convicted criminal known as Raging Bull, and apparently the newest member of the Guardians."

With that, the scene cut to a man and woman, both in their forties, whom the caption at the bottom of the screen identified as David and Susan Martin. David spoke, "My son is a very violent man. He should be in prison, not on the streets where he has the chance to hurt decent people."

Susan followed up with, "We were glad when he moved out. Not a day went by," she said, looking significantly at the camera, "That we weren't afraid for our lives."

Aurum Sol grabbed the remote and switched the TV off, but the damage was done. Gordon was hurt. Not by what his parents had said; he knew that the Occupant had gotten to them and messed with their minds, so they couldn't help it. It was the fact that he wasn't going to reveal the Occupant's secrets, and the telepath knew that, and yet he still did this. Gordon knew that his mother's words were a threat that if he didn't keep him mouth shut, they would pay.

Most of the heroes in the room were uncomfortable after that. Many tried to stare at him without looking like they were. It reminded him of how the people in his home town looked at him after his power emerged. He didn't think things could get any worse.

And then Quebec Star entered the room. She hovered over to Cynthis and said, "Excusez-moi , I see that I am late for the meeting. I was assisting the police force in Montreal with a problem they had." The she caught sight of someone she didn't recognize, a skinny, unhappy looking young man wearing a shirt with a bull on it. "Who is that?" she asked.

The android turned her head to see who the pregnant heroine was referring to and then said, "Ah, that is Raging Bull, one of our new members. He used to work for a crime boss named the Occupant until…"

"WHAT?!" Quebec Star angrily exclaimed, the rage of her empowering spirit surging within her. She streaked across the living room, weaving around Gothstrike and Valkeris, to get to him. She grabbed him by the shirt with both hands, then lifted him up and slammed him against the wall while yelling in her native tongue, "Où est-il ? Où est l'Occupant ?"

Gordon couldn't answer. He was too afraid of the angry woman to say anything. Changeling and Impact ran over and pulled Quebec Star off of him. He stood there for a moment, wide eyed, and then ran to the elevator.

Mindy Marvel let out a sigh as she saw him run away and started to go after him, but a hand fell on her shoulder. She turned to see Soviet Superwoman. "Let me go after him," the Russian heroine said. "I feel we have much to talk about."

A few minutes later, Gordon was sitting at the edge of the roof of Guardians HQ, hugging his knees to his chest and staring out at the city. He had so much hope when the meeting started, and yet it went so wrong so fast. And then a muscular woman with short black hair and a red hammer and sickle on her chest floated up in front of him. "I thought I would find you here," she said. He started to get up, but the Soviet Superwoman said, "No, please stay. I wish to speak with you."

"What about," he asked as he resettled himself.

"I think that I understand better than anyone else some of what you are going through," she said. "Do you know who Stalin was?"

Gordon nodded and said, "Yeah, I learned about him in history class."

Olga winced at his response. She occasionally forgot that things she lived through in her world were part of history here, and it made her feel dated. Still, she continued, "Yes. He was the person I looked up to the most and I believed he could do no wrong, and yet if he did even a fraction of what the Stalin of this world did, he was not the man I thought he was."

Gordon shook his head and said, "I don't see how that's the same. I knew what kind of person the Occupant was and I still followed him. I did so many bad things for him." He looked away in shame. "I killed a person."

Olga nodded at that. "And are you planning on killing again."

Gordon's head snapped around, his eyes wide. "NO!" he exclaimed.

"Then you should not let it worry you so much," Olga responded. "I have taken the lives of many people. Many of them were in wartime, but not all. And it always weights on me. That is why I have vowed never to kill again, for any reason. But my point is that I am not the person Stalin tried to make me. I have changed and for the better, I like to think. And I see you as like I once was, in need of guidance" She floated closer, to within his reach, and extended a hand. "I am willing to give you that guidance, if you will let me."

He looked up at her. "You want to mentor me?"

Olga smiled and nodded. "I do. And perhaps someday in the future, you could do the same for someone else. So what do you say?"

Gordon considered the offer, and then reached out and took her hand.