<~{ World of Heroes }~> ...it begins... (LSUs welcome)

[Mew Master]

TPM Comics Presents...
HELLFIRE
Washout
Robert Wiles~#~Hellfire#~#Male
Time: 12:12 PM EST
Location: New York's performer square, destroyed

Robert felt the ground shake under him as the gargoyle blabbered something about another test. The concrete under and around him buckled as he felt the shift in inertia. Such a brash movement caused his head to hurt even more, keeping him from even calling forth his wings to get away. A set of molten hands burst forth, ripping apart the concrete and brick of the performer’s square.

What could best be described as a golem comprised of molten rock and lava pushed itself up, knocking Robert down, grabbing onto the edge of the hole it had made as it pulled itself up with a rumbling roar. The artist’s head was burning and hurt, unable to keep a hold of the edge of the pit-fall, and he feel down below to where the now walking mass of concrete and rebar that had been there.

His landing was hard as he ended up soaking wet and three feet down in water. Kicking himself up, even with the weight of his satchel and coat, he broke the surface, gasping for air, his body being carried away by the current.

Robert struggled to keep his head above the water. The combined weight of his clothes and satchel were making it difficult to keep his head up. His feet kicked against the water as he struggled to get to the side, reaching for a ledge. Fingers brushed against stone. A ledge! He kicked harder, against the current.

Grabbing the edge, he reached for a piece of piping, giving himself some more leverage and pulled himself out of the rushing water. His glasses were in his hands, they would have been swept away if he hadn’t grabbed them as he fell. Pulled out of the water, soaked, exhausted and head still hurting, Robert tried to look around to where he was.

Not in the sewer, he thought. Doesn’t smell that bad. He pushed himself up, using the wall as a brace. Flicking the water off his glasses he slipped them on. Water droplets distorted his vision, but he could still see somewhat. Must be the water works.

Robert looked back to where the water was running from, and where he had been. He couldn’t hear the sounds of the gargoyle or its summoned golem. Just as well, he really didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

Using the wall as a brace he started walking along the flow of water. His clothes were heavy and he was soaked to the bone. Robert was even sure that his art supplies and drawings were soaked and might be destroyed. When his headache was gone, he could dry his stuff off and then find his way to his home, if it wasn’t destroyed by now.

First he needed to get out of the water system.

He walked for ten minutes, following the path of water, looking for a way out. The water on his glasses had dried, but through the water caked lenses he could see what he was looking for.

A grate.

His headache was subsiding, and he jumped up, letting his wings out to jet him up for a little extra push. The grate gave with a loud creek, turning out and away from him. He dropped back down, smirking to himself. One more push… he jumped, letting his wings out again so he could grab onto the edge of the ledge.

Taking a bit to swing himself and haul himself up and through the grate, which luckily he could fit through. Pulling his satchel up, and resting it on the level he was climbing up to, Robert managed to get up and out of the water circuit. Moving away from the grate, he stood up, letting his satchel drop to the floor with a wet slurp.

He rolled his shoulders and peeled his trench coat off, and started to wring it out, small torrents of water splashing on the floor. Glancing around, the floor seemed dusty, and the dust would come off when his stuff dried. So he tossed his coat down on the ground.

Robert grabbed his satchel, and could feel water moving around in it. So he held it by the edge, and tipped it, pouring the water down on the ground.

“And who are you, praytell?” he heard a woman’s voice behind him.

He glanced back at the voice, learning that he wasn’t alone. There was a woman standing there, her arms crossed and looking at him, interested in the artist. Great, he thought. Someone’s home or something. Oh well. Five minutes and I’m gone.

Calmly he stood up, taking out his various wet drawings. Holding them out-front on the palm of his hand, he started turning, causing individual pages to stay, and floating in the air. His movement caused them to float around him, surrounding him like a floating dome of drawings on paper. He could still see through it, and she could see him.

He replied as he concentrated his fire, causing the paper to dry and straighten out. Steam rose from the paper, floating around and dropping to the ground. “Hellfire.”

The woman looked at him for a bit, watching him, almost taking him in. A smile came over her face.

“That’s not a very polite way in which to introduce yourself… Robert.”

Robert’s eyes widened from his concentration, the papers wobbling before he regained his composure. Narrowing his eyes at her.

“Telepath?”

What is a telepath but one who can see through the windows of the mind? he heard her voice echo in his mind, like she was finding him amusing.

“Telepath,” Robert replied, keeping his concentration on drying his work before they were all ruined. “Who are you?”

“Poltergeist,” she said vocally this time.

“Poltergeist?”

The dead have no names.

Robert didn’t like this. Facing an art-themed gargoyle with rock and earth was one thing. But he didn’t have much of a defense against anyone manipulating his mind left and right.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

There ya go Dru. Enjoy.

[Blademaster]

Ivan and Enigma

'Where is Enigma?'

Despite having almost no other friends (if Enigma could even be called that), the battle and the aftermath had distracted Ivan for long enough to only NOW realize his partner was still missing.

"Demon."

The mammoth reptilian opened one eye - he seemed to be dozing off, just like the little girl he was guarding had.

"Grrmh...?" he growled sleepily. "Whuh?"

"Demon, I don't know where Enigma is." Ivan said (softly, so as not to wake up his new 'friend'). "Can you pick up his scent? He's badly injured."

Demon didn't look particularly concerned about the guy who'd tried to shoot him several times that same day, but he sniffed the air nonetheless.

"I smell... blood?" he finally replied, a sour look on his face. "Ugh. Does he ALWAYS smell that bad?"

"His blood is a conglomeration of that of many other Supers." Ivan replied. "That is why it's so muddled."

"Fair enough... But he doesn't BATHE very often either, does he?"

".....No."

Demon chuckled, then pointed at a large hole in a building behind the one Ivan and Sentinel had been knocked into earlier. "He's in there. Smells like he's bleeding pretty bad."

'Just what I feared...' Ivan thought, taking to the air and zooming through the hole within seconds. He touched down, light as a feather, and looked around.

The room was a cubicle room; Enigma had evidently barreled through two walls, knocked down the third, and landed in a storage closet.

"Enigma?" Ivan called. "Enigma, where are you?"

No answer... Ivan looked through the rubble, biting his lip. Enigma wouldn't be this quiet if he wasn't hurt... Ivan started digging through the broken appliances, chunks of drywall, scattered papers...

His heart stopped: Enigma was slumped against the far wall, his left arm unnaturally bent and a shaft of bone poking from his left leg. Blood dripped from his lips, scratches and cuts scattered across his face and ripping through the costume that was his skin, which only furthered the bleeding. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was shallow.

"ENIGMA!!" Ivan shrieked, rushing to his partner's aid. "Enigma, wake up!"

Again, nothing.

Ivan lifted up his partner.

'No. Not him, too. I WON'T let him die!' Ivan swore to himself, turning and flying from the building; he landed back where the other Supers were recovering. They all looked at Enigma in shock.

"You all live here." Ivan asked, voice shaking. "Tell me how to get to a hospital."

"The little girl-" one of them whose name Ivan didn't learn yet began.

"No." Ivan's response was immediate. "She's exhausted. She's suffered enough for us all today. Get me to someone who can heal him without putting themselves at risk. Hurry!"

------------------------------------

We got a man down, folks. Anybody that lives in Seattle, you're up.

And no, Ivan will not take Shenmingli's blood under ANY circumstances. Sorry, but that's just too easy.

NEXT!

[Mew Master]

TPM Comics Presents...
DEMON
Friendship
Steven Wiles ~*~Demon*~*Male
Time: 2:31 PM WST
Location: Seattle, Washington. Street level.

“What you fought was a Class 3, Form-forming…” the woman who smelled of metal and oil, Valkyrie, started telling the group of Supers on the side walk of Seattle.

Demon found himself annoyed and afraid. He wasn’t used to being around so many people for such a long time. Not only was that, but the monotone of Valkyrie’s voice starting to bore him, and lure him to sleep. Shenmingli was still asleep on the saurian’s tail, her breathing constant. She likely exhausted by the whole ordeal. Best to let her rest.

His annoyance, however, was brought on the fact that Valkyrie had said that they would be monetarily compensated.

Do I look like I have a wallet? he thought, letting out a light snort.

The other Supers, describing the fight, the alien, and what it was capable of, answered Valkyrie. Demon yawned, keeping quiet about the whole thing. He was a bit on edge still, so many people, conflicting scents, seeing soldiers with guns. The saurian was also tired.

With Shenmingli fast asleep on his tail, Demon lowered his head. His lower jaw resting on the concrete. He wasn’t saying anything, rather to keep his mouth shut than anything. Quiet, on the ground, curled up, tired, he was tempted to sleep right there. Demon’s eyes closed as his mind started to shut down.

“Demon.” Said a familiar voice.

The saurian opened one eye, letting out a tired growl. “Whuh?” His eye moved around, looking at the one who had spoke. It was Ivan.

“Demon,” he said softly. “I don’t know where Enigma is. Can you pick up his scent, he’s badly injured.”

Arching his head up, Demon sniffed the air. Indifferent towards Enigma, he inhaled the air. Through the smell of people, smoke, gunpowder, and fire, the saurian caught the familiar maddening scent of Enigma. One with a scent like his name.

“I smell … blood?” The sudden whiff of Enigma’s raw blood burned Demon’s nostrils and he shook his head. “Uhg. Does he always smell that bad?”

“His blood is a conglomeration of that of many other Supers. That is why it’s so muddled.”

“Fair enough,” the saurian replied. “But he doesn’t bathe very often, does he?”

Ivan was silent for a bit before he replied, “No.”

Demon let out a snorted laugh. He would have twitched his tail along with the laughter, but he had the girl laying on it. Carefully he pointed towards a building that looked like a truck-sized wrecking-ball had hit it. “He’s in there. Smells like he’s bleeding pretty bad.”

Ivan looked up at the building, his face contorting slightly before he flew off towards the building. Demon watched him disappear into it, and heard the angel’s frantic shouts for his friend. The saurian curled up around Shenmingli again, resting his head on the concrete.

He heard footsteps behind him, and opened one eye. There was Chaotix standing above him.

“Demon?”

“Yeah,”

“It’s… not good for her to sleep on the concrete, she needs something better. You’re not going to bite if I try to pick her up are you?”

Demon, considered it. Then he thought about how Chaotix seemed to care for Shenmingli just as much as he wanted to protect her for saving his life.

“No,” he replied, letting Chaotix pick up the sleeping Chinese girl, who let out a sleepy groan from being moved, but never the less seemed to remain asleep.

With Chaotix holding Shenmingli, Demon stood up, stretching his body. After a yawn and his muscles stretched, he looked at the group of Super’s that were gathering, just as Ivan burst out of the building with a bleeding Enigma in tow. There was the discussion, however short it was, to use Shenmingli’s blood to heal him, and Ivan refused, leaving no room for argument.

Demon watched them as they started to leave the scene. The National Guard was on damage control, and behind him was the line of people who had gathered to watch and see if the Supers were going to take on the United States Military. He caught the flashes of some cameras and the clicks of cellular phones from the line of people, getting an image of him and the other Supers as he stood there, and the Supers walked away.

Shenmingli had asked him to stay, and he wanted to. But. He viewed himself as too different. The Supers treated him as if he were normal, when he was nowhere near that human of appearance. They could still have normal lives if they wanted. He was shouted at by people, Animal Control, and sometimes shot at when someone happened to have a gun.

Turning he started to head into the mouth-way of an alley. He stopped, looking one last time at Ivan, Sigil, and Shenmingli, the three that seemed less taken aback by him and his appearance. His eyes watched them for another second, before he disappeared into the alley.

Demon was on his own again.

The saurian made his way through the back alleys. Familiar smells of trash and dead air met his nostrils and he snorted. His feet gripped the concrete as he navigated the alleys, trotting along to his den.

Almost to his den, Demon caught the scent of someone following him. Instinct took over. Threat. Danger. Stalk. Turning around a corner, his den close by, he silently climbed up the wall, hiding himself in a shadow produced from the sun’s current position. Instincts still roared in his mind, only now he was the hunter, not the hunted.

Clinging to the wall of the building he stared down, unmoving, breathing silently. A figure came through the same path he had taken, stopping at where he had disappeared, but still entering the alley near his den. He felt his lips curl back, a silent snarl from his mouth. The person stood there, looking in the direction of his den. Demon primed himself to jump down onto the person, a low growl in his throat.

A whiff of something familiar cut through his instincts and he looked at the person below with a clearer mind. The smell was familiar, a concoction of metal and flesh molded together. A memory came associated with the scent, and then a face and name.

Sigil.

She had stopped, looking right at his den. Instincts for defending his territory clashing with Demon’s own mind.

“What do you want?” he asked, with a subconscious growl to his voice.

Sigil turned her head up to him, no emotion of surprise or shock registering on her face.

“I believe you would call it curiosity,” she replied.

Demon was silent for a second, before he climbed down the wall a bit and then jumping the rest of the distance down, his legs bending to relieve the stress as his own weight buckled concrete.

“Curiosity killed the cat,” he warned as he walked past her to his den. “I almost attacked you…”

Sigil was silent before she spoke again, “But satisfaction brought it back.”

“Satisfaction?” he replied as the Demon disappeared behind the wall that hid his den. The saurian started shifting his blankets around with his snout, arranging them as best he could. Grabbing some with his hands he spread them out a bit more before curling up on the blankets, which only made a slight barrier between the concrete and his skin.

He could hear Sigil slowly walk up to the entrance to his den, and he angled his head to see her form stand in the entryway. She seemed to wait, confused on her next course of action.

“May I enter?”

Demon felt his instincts clash. Packmate? Intruder! Ally? Danger! His head twitched a bit, as he fought with himself. A few minutes of fighting over his own instincts, he finally nodded to her, allowing her in.

Carefully, Sigil entered the den, looking around. “Why did you ask about satisfaction?”

“I wasn’t sure what you meant,” he replied. “Whether you were talking about the cat or yourself.”

“I believe it is meant to put the speaker as the cat…”

“Hmm… I don’t know,” he replied, laying his head down on the blankets.

“This is your home,” she asked, bluntly.

His head came up. Demon’s first reaction to the question was going to be No, but he stopped himself short. He had nowhere else. This was his home, for the time being, and he was ashamed of it.

“Yes…” he laid his head back down, pointed away from her.

“Your reaction is confusing,” she said. “You are unhappy you have a home?”

“It’s,” he started. “A hole in the wall. This isn’t a home. I can’t stay anywhere else though. … So… I make do with where I can find to stay.”

There was silence between the cyborg and the saurian before Sigil turned on a heel and started to walk out of the den. She stopped at the entrance before she turned back towards him, “I will provide you with a home then.” Demon watched her go, her scent dissipating on the wind. He sighed before lowering his head back down on the blankets.

Less than a minute later, Sigil came back standing in the entry way.

“Come with me.”

He looked at her confused. “Where? I leave the alleys and I’ll be screamed at, shot at,” he thought back to a particular incident. “They called Animal Control on me!”

Sigil’s reaction didn’t change as she looked at the saurian, “Do you need a reason to follow me?”

“I don’t know… I barely know you.”

“I have not ran from you, screamed, shot, or otherwise done anything in the ways you have describe other people doing. I have helped you, and proven myself as an ally. But, if you need another reason than what I would presume to be obvious...” she said looking at him. Then her expression showed some emotion, as she looked at him. “You totaled my car. The least you could do is trust me.”

Demon blinked at her, his thoughts scattered and surprised. He didn’t know what Sigil wanted with him, he didn’t know if he could trust her either.

“… Okay,” he said, thinking If nothing else… I can find a new place to live. Demon stood up, stretching his limbs.

Sigil’s expression went back to it’s unreadable way as she said, “Follow me.”

Demon followed the cyborg carefully, moving silently behind her. At the end of the familiar exit of the alley, Demon saw it blocked mostly by a large SUV. The windows were tinted black and it was large enough to block the alley and anyone looking in.

“That vehicle will take us to our destination,” she said calmly.

“You still haven’t told me where we’re going,” Demon said, stopping short of the van.

“Home.”

He stood there, confused. Tilting his head, “Your home?”

“No,” Sigil replied turning towards him. Her face melted into a more human expression of sincerity. “Our home.”

“Our… home?!”

Sigil nodded.

Demon seemed to fidget, shifting his weight on his legs while his hands fidgeted with each other. He looked at Sigil, the van, the alley behind him, before looking at Sigil again.

The cyborg tilted her head. “Is there something wrong with this arrangement?”

“I… um… huh… why?” he stuttered. The first thing that came to his mind as a reasonable purpose for her wanting him to go to her home, was him sitting on a lawn, behind a white picket fence, wearing a spiked collar, roaring and snapping at anyone who got too close while Sigil watched wearing only a robe.

Sigil was silent for a bit. “There is no definition for it. Take it as an offering to be…” She seemed to think for a bit, looking for the word. “Friends.”

“Friends…” he replied.

Sigil nodded.

“And you want me… to come live with you?” Demon seemed to fidget a bit more, confused, worried.

She nodded again.

“You’re not going to stick me in the front lawn with a collar and a name tag?”

Sigil blinked before answering, “No. There is room inside I believe will be large enough for you to find comfortable.”

Demon stood there for a minute, thinking. Could he trust her? Was there any reason not to? She was right in a few parts, and she actually wanted to be his friend? Was she sincere with that?

“Wait here for a moment,” and Demon dashed down the alley, back towards his den.

For Sigil, the wait was for a few moments when Demon came back, holding his several blankets, one resting over his body, hiding his form mostly from anyone watching. He also had the images and photos from his den clutched in his mouth. The backdoors of the SUV opened up and Demon stepped inside. The vehicle shifted with his weight as he got in, getting some confused looks from the surrounding people on the side-walk.

After he was inside, the two doors closed behind him as he laid down in the back, still covered in the largest blanket he had. He tried to make sure he was laying down under the windows, but he was still a bit too big.

With a latch, the back doors closed, Sigil got into the driver’s seat, and the SUV roared to life, lurching out of the alley to wherever Sigil was going to take them both.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[Ultimate Charizard]

Just letting u guys know im still in this, i just Chose New York as my base before i knew where you were going to stage it with a charachter unwilling to use her powers so not likely to rush off on some heroic rampage.

I have an idea to get involved though and also a possible Sidekick for her....if you can call it that

[Heald]

Red Bear

"He's coming around. Call for the commander."
He opened his eyes and the blurry vision of men surrounding him filled his eyes. He was lying on a metal table. He tried to sit up, but a hand was put on his shoulder.
"You need to conserve your strength. You've just had a serious operation."
Red Bear looked at his arms: his severed one had somehow been reattached. A door opened and several men in the room stood to attention.
"At ease men. Is he awake?"
"Yes, Sir, but he's in-"
"Silence. That's an order."
The commander stood at the foot of the table and stared at Red Bear right in the eye.
"Looks like you've gotten rusty...figuratively speaking."
Red Bear coughed and asked,
"Urgh...what happened?"
The commander scowled.
"We were hoping you'd be able to fill us in. We found you unconscious in the snow, your arm severed and no sign of the xeno. Furthermore, we've since learnt that it since crossed Siberia to Canada and we believe it is the source of the attack on an American city, and now those pigs think we're the ones who sent it in the first place!"
"The xeno...so it's...an alien?"
"In a word, yes. We found it shortly after the alien invasion in 1963. After some testing we found it was just some sort of alien organism, but never imagined it would grow into this. This was back in the Cold War era, we were trying to see if we could adapt their technology for our own arms race and-"
"I don't care. So I didn't kill it?"
"No, in fact, if anything you helped it. Luckily, we had managed to salvage a specimen from the part of it you severed and we have spent the last day analyzing it. It works on a purely molecular level - each cell is like a lifeform in itself, and when they bond together, its strength and personality increase exponentially. As such, it is a very adaptive lifeform, and like molecules, heat hastens the transfer rate, strengthening it. We have, however, managed to deduce that its weakness is, in fact, cold. This is why, considering the sub-zero temperatures in Siberia, it took so long to awaken. However, we have yet to find the temperature that will stop it completely. During your operation, we did take the liberty of replacing the flame thrower in your severed arm with a liquid-nitrogen pump."
Jaecar laughed.
"You expect me, after facing this thing and having my arm cut off, to go and face this thing again? No thanks."
Jaecar began to hop off the table and was about to walk away when the commander stood in front of him.
"If you recall, I asked you to take care of it, which you didn't do. That means no passport."
Jaecar scowled.
"Furthermore, we haven't yet refilled your fuel tank, and unless you fancy a 2 week walk to the nearest bit of civilization, I suggest you obey orders."
Jaecar sat back down again.
"Okay, fine. Tell me what we're going to do then."

---

OOC: For the rest of you, here is something you might see if you go anywhere near a television or radio.

"My fellow Americans,

As many of you will already know, our borders today were breached by an unknown threat and it has caused many casualties in Washington and the Seattle area. We do not know where this threat has originated from, but we are working towards finding out.

Footage, both from amateurs and news crews, has been coming in in the last hour detailing the story of Seattle. Several of our brave citizens put their powers to good use in order to defend the city and the American people, and we cannot thank them enough for their contribution. The contributions of the Washington National Guard is also commended, and my heart goes out to the families who have had their loved ones taken away by this threat as they heroically defended this nation.

The threat, however, is said to be still at large, and its whereabouts are currently unknown. As such, I am now declaring a state of national emergency. All state national guards are being deployed amongst our national armed forces as we speak in order to track down and nullify the threat. As Commander-in-Chief of this nation's military, I promise I will do my utmost to guarantee the safety of the American people."

"My advice to you is this: stay indoors, do not leave your house unless it is an absolute emergency, and report any information you have on this threat as fast as you can.

I would also like to invite any heroic individuals with the power to help, anyone with any information and was present in Seattle today, to answer this nation's call. I am calling upon the Supers of America to join our forces. We have had reports that our conventional weapons may not be sufficient in dealing with the threat, and to minimise the loss of life we call upon anyone with the power to to join us. In thirty-six hours time from now, at noon on Thursday, at a military base in Mercury, Nevada, our armed forces and our specialist Super contingent will be holding a conference in order to plan our nations defence. Military convoys and planes from all major cities will be advertising transit to the base. I call upon any Super with America at their heart to attend; the future of our planet may depend on it.

Thank you, and good night America."

[Dr.McNinja]

Chaotix sat on the edge of the hotel bed, a rather nice one at that. He had enough money stashed away and invested that, to an extent, he could afford such things in the present. All a part of his plans, he mused grimly to himself, his plans to get onto the larger stage. Well here he was. And at that moment Mr. George Bush Jr came on to give his awkwardly paced speech to the American Hero community. Chaotix watched and could feel his heartrate increase as the speech went on.

Yes! Finally! They need us! And with me having participated in the fight already, maybe they’ll take me seriously and give me something important to do! It’s perfect! It’s just what I want….shit

Chaotix, in his mental ramblings, had begun pacing about the room until, turning, his eyes fell upon the sleeping form of Shengmingli. A sigh heaved from his chest as he saw her slight form breathing lightly underneath the sheets. A grimace crossed his face as he recalled her plummet form a skyscraper, what had possessed her to do that when they had to have been other less…spectacular ways of doing so. He watched her for a moment before a second sigh passed his lips.

I called her here from wherever she was before…I’ve dragged her around into horrible danger…am I going to drag her into the concerns of a country she isn’t even from? Am I going to let my own ambition ruin this little girl’s life?

He absently reached into a nearby drawer, his eyes flickering briefly, and pulled out a bag of potato chips. Sitting back on the bed he watched the talking heads of the news channel ponder endlessly about the attack, repeating themselves at least twenty times in as many minutes as he watched. He was so engrossed in the ineptitude that he started when a faint voice came from behind him.

“….Alex?”

He turned and looked into her half-closed eyes, “Mornin…er….I guess afternoon now. How are you?”

Shengmingli gave a small smile and waved her hands as if to show they were unharmed, “I told you that I would be okay. See?”

Alex nodded, not realizing that Bush’s speech was repeating on TV behind him. Shengmingli stared past him a moment before she spoke, “What is the man saying?”

Halfway turning, Alex saw the screen and shrugged, “He wants Supers to meet somewhere for a meeting to help decide how to fight against that…thing.”

Her smile reappeared, “Are we going?”

An uncertain expression crossed Alex’s eyes even as the hand Shengmingli couldn’t see clutched at the bunched sheets. His eyes calmed in a moment however and he shook his head, “No, I think you’ve been through enough for a bit don’t you? And since I brought you here I have to look after you y’know? We can just keep track of things and if they need our help we’ll find them. How’s that sound?”

As he waited for his response he could feel his dream slipping out his grasp. It wasn’t as bad as he had thought, he mused. He watched Shengmingli shift a little before answering and realized that maybe one didn’t always have to be in the center of things to make a difference, at least this way he could protect the ones in his sight and, if it had to be, that would be enough for him.