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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
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- self insert young justice
Lord Ernest
At the End...
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Well, that's hilarious. He's trying to set someone up and an abrupt meeting for something else derails it, typical.
Also, didn't recall that it was your birthday. Happy Birthday, Zoat!
Also, didn't recall that it was your birthday. Happy Birthday, Zoat!
Frank Iannetta
Getting out there.
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Have a wonderful birthday, Mr. Zoat!
Mr Zoat
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After reading that, I briefly became 24 again.
CrazyNoVa
Know what you're doing yet?
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.emoclew er'uoY
Cappare (part 6)
New
Mr Zoat
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26th July 2013
11:31 GMT -5
I catch sight of my reflection in the window, and…
Yeah, I can't pull this look off anymore.
And it's worse because of all the effort I put into getting back in shape. Pants, jacket, hell, even the t-shirt, all went on like it was yesterday I went out for the first time. Not being able to fit in any of it when the-. When the Anti-Life broadcast happened hit harder than I thought it would.
Heh. Midlife crisis, here I come.
So I'm glad it all fits. And Jayne doesn't really want me getting back into it full time, but we talked about it and she accepts that I kind of need to. Opal City needs a Starman, and after Kyle tried volunteering she couldn't say 'yes' fast enough.
But I look like I'm firmly in 'how do you do, fellow kids?' territory. Johnny Rotten showing up as a daytime T.V. host. I guess that's one advantage of having an actual costume rather than just wearing a signature outfit. Alan Scott's wearing the same stuff he did back in the thirties and it doesn't look weird, and he's the age Dad would be.
I could have done this with a phone call, but here I am, turning up in person, dressed like it's still the nineties and I'm still in my twenties. I tried telling myself that it's because this is a professional thing I'm going as Starman, but it's not.
It is cheaper than buying a convertible, though. Maybe I could try that line on Jayne?
The door to the waiting room the receptionist dumped me in opens and-.
Is that a caveman? Oh yeah, that was that thing… They managed to resurrect a frozen Neanderthal a few years ago. Didn't realise they gave him a job. He stares at me, and at the Cosmic Staff resting on the table. Then he sort of grunts at steps aside and-.
I just stare as Simon Stagg, C.E.O. of Stagg Enterprises, strolls into the room. One of the richest guys in America, up there with Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor. And I know this is important, but I can't help but wonder… Why the Hell is he bothering to come see me personally?
"Jack Knight!" He smiles, walking over to me and offering me his hand. "Good to meet you!"
I'm so off balance that I stand up and take his hand on autopilot. When someone like this smiles at you, that means that you're being taken for a ride. But he could expense me taking a round the world taxi ride without even noticing. It's not worth ripping me off because he's making more money while we're having this meeting than I have in total assets.
"Mister Stagg-. I didn't think you'd come yourself."
The caveman sticks close to the door, where he'd be just out of sight of anyone who burst into the room. Doesn't think I'm a threat.
Thanks.
"Heh. Given how much money your dad's going to be making me, a personal appearance is the least I can do." He pulls out the chair opposite and plants himself in it. "Ah, sit down, sit down."
Get it together, Jack. If he's not overawed by the fact that you're a superhero, you can deal with the fact that he's rich.
I sit down-.
"Is this it?" He's staring at the Staff in a hungry sort of way, and I get a momentary impulse to snatch it back. "The staff your dad used to fly around with?"
"Not this one. He used an older version, and so did my brother. This one, he made for me."
"You know how it works?"
"Kind of. I mostly just know how to repair it, but Dad left me the full instructions."
His eyes flick to me-. And then he sits back, not even glancing at the Staff. "You'll have to excuse me. I see a wonderful piece of technology like that, all I can think about is what we could do with it. But that's not why you're here. I guess it's about your Dad's research?"
"Yeah. I was wondering how Stagg Enterprises ended up with it all."
He nods, then shrugs. "Honestly, I'm not all that sure myself."
"Huh?"
"Look, Stagg Enterprises is a big company. We do acquisitions and mergers all the time. I have to sign off on the all as C.E.O. but mostly I'm just reading a report summary and trusting that my people have done due diligence. And the report didn't say 'super advance technology developed by Doctor Theodore Knight', it was more…" He shakes his head. "I'm wracking my brain here, but it was years ago and I don't remember it all that clearly. Something like 'exotic energy research and prototype designs'… As far as I remember we bought the holding company because it was cheap and some of their stuff might go somewhere. I only bothered reading up on the details when we were ready to go to market. I've got people looking though our records to find the original report, but between the Anti-Life, normal staff turnover and a system upgrade we did six years ago it might just have gotten completely lost."
"You don't remember anything about the company you bought sticking out at all?"
"Not after a decade. Ah, something made me sign off on acquiring it in the first place, but I couldn't tell you exactly what it was. Like I said, we're looking, especially with Batman telling us to get him the information. The last thing I want is an army of his Mohawk-wearing zombies messing with my company."
That all sounds reasonable. So it's probably a lie, but if Batman's leaning on him then there's not a whole lot more I can add.
"How come it took so long to turn the cosmic converter into a generator? It obviously-" I hold out my hand and the Cosmic Staff rises off the table and flies into my open palm. "-works. Heck, I thought Dad had an actual design in the files he handed over."
"Oh, he did. What do you know about electricity grids?"
This is what I get for dropping science after High School. "Not much. Power comes from power plants along cables to where it's needed."
"Most power comes from steam turbines. You get heat from something -gas, coal, oil, nuclear, it doesn't matter- and you use it to make steam. Heh, it's basically a God damned eighteenth century steam engine, turning a magnet to create magnetic flux. Kord got that right. Solar panels don't work like that, and it turns out that if you try using them over a large area you get a massive increase in grid instability from their higher output ripple. It's not a problem on a small scale with a pocket calculator or whatever, but you try plugging it into the same grid and you get all sorts of trouble."
"And the cosmic converter had the same problem?"
"It's why I was looking at your staff like that. We didn't get the flight system. If we did, we could have made the turbine fly around and generate power indirectly. As it was, we had to spend years working out how to avoid causing a grid collapse the moment we attached our generator to it. And let me tell you, America's power infrastructure isn't any great shakes anyway. Except in New York, thanks to that Orange Lantern guy."
"And it took you over a decade to fix the problem?"
"Eh, we weren't exactly prioritising it. Lots of inventors over-promise and under-deliver, and we have to prioritise things we know how to make work. You dad kept things close to his chest -for obvious reasons- so it wasn't like there was anyone we could call in to go over his records who could just understand them from the start. A whole team had to learn about cosmic energy from scratch using his records and go from there. If I'd known in advance it would definitely work I'd have put the money in right away, but I didn't, so… I didn't."
"I guess that makes sense."
And it probably does, but I'll get someone with a bit more know-how than me check.
"Yeah, I was kicking myself when we finally got it working. Stagg Enterprises could have had the entire electrical market to ourselves for five years easy if we'd gone all in from the start. But them's the breaks, and a third of the market's better than nothing. Hey, while you're here, do you want to have a look around one of our generator rooms, see what it looks like in practice?"
I… Yeah, I would, actually. Even if Dad didn't live to see it, I'd like to see his work get used for something safe and useful.
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Don't sweat it." Stagg smiles. "It's the least I can do."
11:31 GMT -5
I catch sight of my reflection in the window, and…
Yeah, I can't pull this look off anymore.
And it's worse because of all the effort I put into getting back in shape. Pants, jacket, hell, even the t-shirt, all went on like it was yesterday I went out for the first time. Not being able to fit in any of it when the-. When the Anti-Life broadcast happened hit harder than I thought it would.
Heh. Midlife crisis, here I come.
So I'm glad it all fits. And Jayne doesn't really want me getting back into it full time, but we talked about it and she accepts that I kind of need to. Opal City needs a Starman, and after Kyle tried volunteering she couldn't say 'yes' fast enough.
But I look like I'm firmly in 'how do you do, fellow kids?' territory. Johnny Rotten showing up as a daytime T.V. host. I guess that's one advantage of having an actual costume rather than just wearing a signature outfit. Alan Scott's wearing the same stuff he did back in the thirties and it doesn't look weird, and he's the age Dad would be.
I could have done this with a phone call, but here I am, turning up in person, dressed like it's still the nineties and I'm still in my twenties. I tried telling myself that it's because this is a professional thing I'm going as Starman, but it's not.
It is cheaper than buying a convertible, though. Maybe I could try that line on Jayne?
The door to the waiting room the receptionist dumped me in opens and-.
Is that a caveman? Oh yeah, that was that thing… They managed to resurrect a frozen Neanderthal a few years ago. Didn't realise they gave him a job. He stares at me, and at the Cosmic Staff resting on the table. Then he sort of grunts at steps aside and-.
I just stare as Simon Stagg, C.E.O. of Stagg Enterprises, strolls into the room. One of the richest guys in America, up there with Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor. And I know this is important, but I can't help but wonder… Why the Hell is he bothering to come see me personally?
"Jack Knight!" He smiles, walking over to me and offering me his hand. "Good to meet you!"
I'm so off balance that I stand up and take his hand on autopilot. When someone like this smiles at you, that means that you're being taken for a ride. But he could expense me taking a round the world taxi ride without even noticing. It's not worth ripping me off because he's making more money while we're having this meeting than I have in total assets.
"Mister Stagg-. I didn't think you'd come yourself."
The caveman sticks close to the door, where he'd be just out of sight of anyone who burst into the room. Doesn't think I'm a threat.
Thanks.
"Heh. Given how much money your dad's going to be making me, a personal appearance is the least I can do." He pulls out the chair opposite and plants himself in it. "Ah, sit down, sit down."
Get it together, Jack. If he's not overawed by the fact that you're a superhero, you can deal with the fact that he's rich.
I sit down-.
"Is this it?" He's staring at the Staff in a hungry sort of way, and I get a momentary impulse to snatch it back. "The staff your dad used to fly around with?"
"Not this one. He used an older version, and so did my brother. This one, he made for me."
"You know how it works?"
"Kind of. I mostly just know how to repair it, but Dad left me the full instructions."
His eyes flick to me-. And then he sits back, not even glancing at the Staff. "You'll have to excuse me. I see a wonderful piece of technology like that, all I can think about is what we could do with it. But that's not why you're here. I guess it's about your Dad's research?"
"Yeah. I was wondering how Stagg Enterprises ended up with it all."
He nods, then shrugs. "Honestly, I'm not all that sure myself."
"Huh?"
"Look, Stagg Enterprises is a big company. We do acquisitions and mergers all the time. I have to sign off on the all as C.E.O. but mostly I'm just reading a report summary and trusting that my people have done due diligence. And the report didn't say 'super advance technology developed by Doctor Theodore Knight', it was more…" He shakes his head. "I'm wracking my brain here, but it was years ago and I don't remember it all that clearly. Something like 'exotic energy research and prototype designs'… As far as I remember we bought the holding company because it was cheap and some of their stuff might go somewhere. I only bothered reading up on the details when we were ready to go to market. I've got people looking though our records to find the original report, but between the Anti-Life, normal staff turnover and a system upgrade we did six years ago it might just have gotten completely lost."
"You don't remember anything about the company you bought sticking out at all?"
"Not after a decade. Ah, something made me sign off on acquiring it in the first place, but I couldn't tell you exactly what it was. Like I said, we're looking, especially with Batman telling us to get him the information. The last thing I want is an army of his Mohawk-wearing zombies messing with my company."
That all sounds reasonable. So it's probably a lie, but if Batman's leaning on him then there's not a whole lot more I can add.
"How come it took so long to turn the cosmic converter into a generator? It obviously-" I hold out my hand and the Cosmic Staff rises off the table and flies into my open palm. "-works. Heck, I thought Dad had an actual design in the files he handed over."
"Oh, he did. What do you know about electricity grids?"
This is what I get for dropping science after High School. "Not much. Power comes from power plants along cables to where it's needed."
"Most power comes from steam turbines. You get heat from something -gas, coal, oil, nuclear, it doesn't matter- and you use it to make steam. Heh, it's basically a God damned eighteenth century steam engine, turning a magnet to create magnetic flux. Kord got that right. Solar panels don't work like that, and it turns out that if you try using them over a large area you get a massive increase in grid instability from their higher output ripple. It's not a problem on a small scale with a pocket calculator or whatever, but you try plugging it into the same grid and you get all sorts of trouble."
"And the cosmic converter had the same problem?"
"It's why I was looking at your staff like that. We didn't get the flight system. If we did, we could have made the turbine fly around and generate power indirectly. As it was, we had to spend years working out how to avoid causing a grid collapse the moment we attached our generator to it. And let me tell you, America's power infrastructure isn't any great shakes anyway. Except in New York, thanks to that Orange Lantern guy."
"And it took you over a decade to fix the problem?"
"Eh, we weren't exactly prioritising it. Lots of inventors over-promise and under-deliver, and we have to prioritise things we know how to make work. You dad kept things close to his chest -for obvious reasons- so it wasn't like there was anyone we could call in to go over his records who could just understand them from the start. A whole team had to learn about cosmic energy from scratch using his records and go from there. If I'd known in advance it would definitely work I'd have put the money in right away, but I didn't, so… I didn't."
"I guess that makes sense."
And it probably does, but I'll get someone with a bit more know-how than me check.
"Yeah, I was kicking myself when we finally got it working. Stagg Enterprises could have had the entire electrical market to ourselves for five years easy if we'd gone all in from the start. But them's the breaks, and a third of the market's better than nothing. Hey, while you're here, do you want to have a look around one of our generator rooms, see what it looks like in practice?"
I… Yeah, I would, actually. Even if Dad didn't live to see it, I'd like to see his work get used for something safe and useful.
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Don't sweat it." Stagg smiles. "It's the least I can do."
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Cool10007
I can't see in this damn thing
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Wow, I can't tell if he's going to be evil or not! I guess we'll have to wait and see, but there's definitely something going on with this guy. And, somehow, I don't think Jack is going to realise what it is until it's already become a problem. He just doesn't have the experience.
Chojin Patriarch
Veteran Lurker
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Ah, Jack Knight, the Starman of the 90's. I see he's looking into his father's technology and Stagg industries personally. I'm guessing the old goggles, bomber jacket and jeans look isn't fitting so well with some middle-age spread.
Ah, just feeling his age, then. I suppose it worked when he was in his twenties, but ten to fifteen years and two kids later...
Heh. Reminds me of the Star-Spangled Kid look from the 'Sins of Youth' crossover, then. Young guy trying to fill his father's big shoes?
Although you might not be suited to the spandex set, there's still plenty of 'not-quite everyday clothes' looking options for costumes. Just look at most of the MCU looks.
Probably because the goggles are a poor substitute for a proper mask, even a tiny domino one. That basically says 'I am trying to be incognito. Please play along?' to the average DC citizen.
Only in DC could 'unfrozen neanderthal' be somewhat tame as an origin story. Instead of a tabloid cover story (Though I imagine it made the rounds for a while.)
And you take one look at that hair and immediately feel 'totally a wannabe supervillain'. The Earth Sixteen look may be a bit milder than some versions, but still...
Plus, coming in with the Cosmic Staff kind of says 'official business.'
Although he's not much of one to you either, unless you're really out of practice.
Just watch out if he offers you a drink.
Each is their own measure of celebrity, really.
Keep that impulse in mind. Just imagine what they could do with a weaponisable version of the Cosmic Collector tech?
So with a little effort, more could be built, in an STC fashion. Don't necessarily need to know how it works to build it, after all.
Yes, I'm sure your military contacts would be very eager to have units of 'Starmen'...
Of course, it could all be innocent coincidence, and Stagg isn't a supervillain here... Yet?
If he's telling the truth, that is plausible. I guess Savage wasn't too concerned with keeping Cosmic tech that under wraps.
Not impossible he got mind-whammied at some point, or is dissembling. But that can be checked easily enough if Batman decides it needs to be.
Among other things, preventing it from being abused by inventive super-criminals? I bet a great many super-scientist types would love to get compact nigh-infinite energy.
Grossly simplified, but understandable. Wonder if Kyle is into Science stuff?
Melting wires, exploding fuseboxes, that sort of thing? But that is a real problem with Solar Power... Most systems use a storage system of some sort to regulate and normalise output.
...If it flew around, some bright spark would turn one into a flying death fortress or something. It's inevitable.
Kind of a drawback with schizotech inventors who don't publish their research widely...
Good, trust but verify.
Already thinking like a canny hero again already!I doubt Jack's going to do more than say 'That's cool'. Not like he can offer advice on refining the tech or anything.
...Sounds all pleasant, but then he goes and says stuff like that and we end up distrusting him again...
...I really can't tell if this Stagg is a villain with a good public face, or a genuinely good guy being manipulated somehow. Which is a sign of good writing, overcoming expected biases like that... Still wondering if we'll see Metamorpho show up, though. Even if it's only as Rex Mason, Head of Security or something like that.
Who knows?Ngamer11
Experienced.
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That should say 'known'.
Neruz
HISSSSSS!
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He's the CEO of a major tech corporation, so he's definitely evil, but just because he's evil doesn't mean he is being evil right this second.
It's entirely possible that he's utterly full of shit about everything he just said, it's also entirely possible he was telling the complete and total truth. Most likely he's somewhere in-between.
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Cuchulin
Versed in the lewd.
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Yeah, he really doesn't have much reason to be evil or dishonest at that moment.
Mr Zoat
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No, that's not it. Storing excess power is easy. You get a pump and two areas of land at different elevations. Got excess power? Pump water up. Need more power? Let it flow through turbines.
The actual issue is more technical and I wish I could find the video that explains it. But as far as I remember the explanation, Stagg is more or less telling the truth. Using a DC to AC coverter makes the system unstable... Somehow. Or something like that.
Thank you, corrected.
Bigking321
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Pretty interesting so far.
I know from other media that stagg is usually a villain. But so far he's coming off a pretty legit.
So it could go either way at this point. A legit business man that had the world go to hell around him or a super villain using chaos to hide any wrongdoing.
Either played straight or as a subversion, should be fun.
I know from other media that stagg is usually a villain. But so far he's coming off a pretty legit.
So it could go either way at this point. A legit business man that had the world go to hell around him or a super villain using chaos to hide any wrongdoing.
Either played straight or as a subversion, should be fun.
Mr Zoat
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Much as Lex Luthor could have done a lot of good if he'd gotten over his hatred of Superman, Stagg's main problem appears to be that he really hated his potential son in law.
Clell65619
Getting sticky.
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I have long said that rather than trying to prove to Superman that he's the better man, rather than building green and purple powered armor to punch the invulnerable alien in the face, Lex should just BE the better man. Cure cancer, solve real world problems, just don't be evil. He'd get so much good press it would drive Superman crazy looking for his Evil Plan (TM) and not finding it because there isn't one.
That's how he could win.
Mr Zoat
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One time, in the golden age, he teamed up with the Joker and did just that. Managed to make Batman and Superman look stupid while working on a generation of super-automatons, because they kept interrupting him doing legal things.
If only he hadn't decided to rob a bank at the end...
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Steelplaza
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My perception of Stagg from the comics is that at his best, he's your usual amoral CEO who would happily break any law and exploit any person where he thought he could get away with it, if it would bring him more money and power, but he maintains a reasonable grip on whether he can in fact "get away with it". With a soft spot for his daughter and a hate spot for Rex (who he nonetheless finds occasionally useful). He's sort of a more superhero universe version of Mr. Lodge from Archie Comics.
The funny part is that Java is slavishly loyal to him, and Stagg sort of despises him for it. Like Java is useful, but a part of Stagg at least respects Rex for standing up to him.
Oh speaking of Java, I wonder if he ever met Vandal Savage before he was frozen? As far as I'm aware DC comics has never done that idea, but it certainly could have happened. And some kind of connection Savage would explain how Java could have survived being frozen. We know that at least in some cases Savage's children can inherit some of his longevity and regenerative ability....
The funny part is that Java is slavishly loyal to him, and Stagg sort of despises him for it. Like Java is useful, but a part of Stagg at least respects Rex for standing up to him.
Oh speaking of Java, I wonder if he ever met Vandal Savage before he was frozen? As far as I'm aware DC comics has never done that idea, but it certainly could have happened. And some kind of connection Savage would explain how Java could have survived being frozen. We know that at least in some cases Savage's children can inherit some of his longevity and regenerative ability....