Lex's words strike something deep in Adrian, and he's still for a very long moment, watching as the other man inspects the pieces of his costume. He is a hero -- not was -- and would still be if society's failure to understand its own needs had not intervened.

"Don't you think it's time you started calling me Adrian?"

He moves away then, not precisely lost in thought but much more thoughtful, as he slowly removes the rest of the body armor, piece by piece. "Retirement from the masked hero business has suited me well enough. I saw it coming early on, was able to focus my plans in other directions. The work I was capable of as Ozymandias was never going to be enough anyway, not for the vision I have, but it was a very necessary beginning. Everything I have built to this point, every step I've taken toward creating something that will truly benefit the world, had its origins in violence, and it seems that if I'm to build something of any value here then I'll have to revisit those origins. 'How great are the dangers I face to win a good name in Baedal.'"