Template:Featured Articles/2-2023

Moment of Awesome - Maya Lincoln-Lopez/Echo: Unable to restrain herself from confronting Garrison Kane after his betrayal of the team while undercover. Maya pulled at her hair, unable to truly understand at the moment why she was so pissed off at him. It had seemed clear back when he’d been brought back but now it felt twisted in her head. She was happy the Sentinel program had been stopped and she was happy he wasn’t dead. But why did it have to be him? “Because you’re better than that. You’re better than making deals with demon lords and fucking Magneto. And if you aren’t, why am I even trying?” "This isn't a fair world. Sometimes the only decision we have is a bad decision." Kane said, the strange intensity suddenly backing off a bit. "And believe me, I've paid for my decision to not die. You can't imagine what it is like to send people you loathe out and teach them how to hurt friends. People you trained. Some of them since they were almost children. To crack one of their skulls open because you've worked with him so long you know just how badly you can hurt him before he can't recover. You're right. My hands are dripping with blood." He paused. "And my reward? For all of those impossible choices? The woman I love is gone. The trust I've earned over the years likewise. I've been living under the threat of death in return for the slightest mistake for months; abuse, rape, humiliation. Literally, every inch of my skin burned away with hellfire while I was awake to experience every second of it. But the Sentinel program is dead for now. The Hell Lord is locked away for a thousand years. The Brotherhood got kicked in the teeth and more importantly, they didn't get a chance to hit us when I wasn't in the position to make them guarantee they wouldn't kill one of our own. Most importantly, I made my decision to make sure in the midst of a moment that three teammates got out safely, even if it meant my life in return. Maybe I went too far. And maybe I can never make it right. But I know that the end result is a lot of innocent people aren't going to have to face the worst this world can throw at them. And if I'm the one who has to pay the price for that, then that's what I'll do." Maya’s face was wet, but she couldn’t have told you when she started crying just that the litany of what he’d gone through had finally pierced through the red haze of rage that had been riding her for days. She gave him a look filled with sorrow, and regret. She’d done it again, just like with Amanda. She’d taken out the anger that would have been focused inward on her own feelings of helplessness and shame on someone who least deserved it. She’d done exactly what Topaz and Amanda had asked her not to. “I’m an asshole, I’m so sorry.” she simply said. "You and me both, kid.." He reached out and traced his thumb down her scars. "I am sorry. If I could have spared you this, I would have. But I knew you were strong enough to handle it. I don't know if that matters, but I believed." “It does. What you said, what you say always matters to me.” Maya admitted, smiling wryly, not worried at the touch. “I hurt someone. When we were on the mission. I’ve been working with Kyle, Matt, and Natasha to give me better options. I’d like your help too if you don’t want to give up on me completely after how I just acted. When you feel up to it, anyway.” "I will. And I read the reports. You handed Thornn her ass. And she's a giant piece of garbage." He smiled. "Good job."