[Archive] With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Story Only)

23rd July 2013
08:39 GMT

Roy looks towards where Supertown stands out like a wart against the verdant forest below. "Is that actual gold?"

"I didn't check. Probably not, but once you get matter transmutation technology gold isn't really anything special."

"I wasn't thinking about the cost. It's just… Gaudy." He turns to Arisia. "Is this some sort of space thing?"

She looks a little confused for a moment. "No, we..? Don't cover buildings in gold on Graxos Four." Something occurs to her. "Except-. I think some places around the equator use gold film to reflect light away from their windows. But not for decoration."

Roy look towards the local star, probably working out the amount of sunlight Supertown is likely to get. Yes, that's not why. "How about other planets?"

"W-. I haven't been to all that many planets, but I haven't seen anything about other planets having gold buildings in my planetary database."

Donna shakes her head. "Is this really important?"

"Different species perceive colour and shape differently. Understanding why the New Gods of New Genesis coat their buildings in gold might reveal something fundamental about their psychology."

She throws me a quizzical look, and I manage to keep a straight face-

"Snrk."

-for a good ten seconds. It gets a chuckle out of Roy and Arisia as well.

"No, it's probably… Either someone made their buildings gold when they first got the ability to make all the gold they wanted, and now it's tradition… Or the gold thing is incidental and it's just a facet of New God technology that we can't perceive."

Donna nods. Okay, we're well inside the atmosphere here…

"Roy, flight systems?"

"Finally. All systems green." I release our tether, and he's flying on his own. "Thank you."

"Okay, I'll drop you from orbit next time. Your inertia belt system should let you survive."

He thinks for a moment. "I know you just said that 'cause I'm whining about being a passenger, but-."

I nod. "You actually want to try skydiving in power armour."

He tries to shrug. "Eh."

"I'll drop you when we go back to Earth." I slow to a halt. "Alright, this is it. Troia, you and Lantern Rrab have Supertown, Arsenal, you're with me." I clench my left fist. "Connect." My rings and Arisia's ring start glowing faintly. "If we get interrupted, that'll stop. Direct communication every half-hour."

Three nods, then Roy and I peel off while Arisia and Donna fly onwards.

"Alright, now-."

"If they react badly to us showing up, retreat. If they complain about my armour, check for threats and then get out. I got it."

"Good show. New Gods have a sort of.. magical translation assistance so you shouldn't have any trouble understanding them-."

"But the armour's got a translator program for a bunch of alien languages just in case, I got it. Seriously." I nod. "Were you serious about the woad?"

"No."

"Uh."

"Woad is a plant native to Earth. It isn't cultivated on New Genesis. You won't recognise many plants here, though the underlying evolutionary logic which gave rise to Earth plants still applies so you might see a lot of things which look a bit like plants you're familiar with. Eating them is probably safe, but you should make sure that I'm around before consuming just in case."

"Right. Uh…"

"I don't have files on Primitive culture, but based on what I know about tribal societies in temperate environments it's entirely possible that they haven't discovered shirt technology yet."

"Okay."

"If that's what you were working up to asking about."

…

He sighs. "I need a girlfriend, dude."

"Even though I can assume female form, I'm-"

"Huh?"

"-taken."

"No, that-. Wasn't what I meant. Ah. Arisia. Is she..?"

"Other than the slightly off skin colour, she's basically human. Physically and culturally compatible. She's going to want to move back to Graxos Four when her training is over, but that's only in the Sector next door so the travel time isn't that bad."

"Okay, but you know her better than I do."

"Well, yes, and if you want me to tell you her tells for what construct she's going to make then I can certainly do that, but I've only really interacted with her professionally."

"But don't you know what everyone around you wants?"

"I can see what they want, and-" I make a point of looking at him, and when he doesn't complain… "-if you're looking for normalcy then you've completely missed the boat. But I generally don't share what I know with other people due to respecting their privacy."

"I-. No, that's fair."

"Also, she's got a massive crush on Lantern Jordan."

"Huh?"

"That's not a privacy violation; she's not exactly subtle-."

"But he's her teacher." I give him a look. Come on, we were both teenaged boys, don't be a hypocrite. "And like, twenty years older than her!"

"Twenty two, to be precise. Ah. Have you seen the Disney film 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'?"

"Yes?"

"Esmeralda was sixteen. Want to guess how old Phoebus the Guard Captain was?"

"Twenty two years older than her?"

"About that. So it's not a lost cause, and I think that Jordan would thank you for trying because he finds it creepy too… But it's not that weird that she'd find a mature man attractive."

"Okay. You got any better suggestions?"

"Ah. Catwoman's single?"

15th August 2000
09:39 GMT

Senior Agent Blaze shudders as we appear next to the standing stone circle closest to Dublin.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

"Aye… Jus' takes a little gettin' used to, oi'm tinking."

"Sir, there isn't much data on what happens when banshee are exposed to power rings. Sir Percival told me that he was always careful in case something that advanced… Accelerated things faster than human technology."

"Oi already went t'rew the Iron Death once, t'ank you very much. Oi'm not likely to forget how it goes."

"As you will, sir." I step forwards, runic entry token raised, at the same time as she rises off the ground. "Ah."

"Put that awey." She raises her hands, the standing stones glowing in response for a moment and then… We're inside. In an adjunct to the main chamber, rather than the garden where I appeared the first time. Probably why she wanted to take the lead; she can actually control where we go.

I follow her as she leads the way towards… Where a small group of three banshee are doing something to a crystal growth. "Is that something that I can learn? Is it something I should learn?"

"Oi've got no idea and no, definitely not."

"Alright. Can I ask 'why'?"

"When uther type o' energy run threw the system, it throws all the energies out of alignment. Oi dread t' t'ink what yewer ring would do to it."

That's a fair point. "But there's no problem with me bringing the ring or lantern through?"

"There hasn't been up 'til now." The three banshee we're heading towards turn away from what they were doing to face us. "Where's Queen Mab?"

The blue-haired one smiles faintly. "You'd do better askin' yon squire about that."

The green-haired one nods. "Moit be gettin' a new princess out 'f it, if we're lucky."

Senior Agent Blaze looks mildly annoyed at the third member of the group. "Bláthnaid, 're you going t' give me a straight answer, or are you goin' three fer three in bein' unhelpful nitwits?"

I wince. "I think I… I worked it out. She's seeing Sir Percival. Um. Possibly amorously."

Bláthnaid… Smirks. "She had a daughter by him. And they've been apart a while." She looks pointedly at Senior Agent Blaze. "You've not been lettin' yers run around on his owen, I hope?"

"Nick c'n look after hisself. Is Sh'rain about, or is she visiting with her..?" Senior Agent Blaze's mouth shifts awkwardly for a moment. "Fahther."

"She's oot, checkin' on some o' the standing stones we haven't been able t' get at fer a while."

Senior Agent Blaze sighs. "Please tell me she's not on her owen."

"Niamh's with her. She'll no' be in any danger."

"So who's in charge 'til they get back?"

The three look at each other for a moment, and then smile smugly.

Bláthnaid shrugs. "Yew? That's how it was last time, and the Queen hasn't made a new Will."

Senior Agent Blaze scowls. "Jus' tell me where Sh'rain and Niamh are exactly."

"You'll not be wantin' t'see Mab then? Could be educational, with you having a new mate."

Blaze… Actually blushes faintly. "I'll not be needin' that kinda education, thank yew very much."

I awkwardly raise my right hand. "Sir, do I need to be here? This sounds like it could be personal."

Bláthnaid smiles... Hungrily. "Could be fer both a' yuhs. Now we're not so worried about hidin' awey, plenty o'bahshees will be lookin' fer mates o' their own."

I raise my eyebrows. "Are you reopening communications with your homeworld?"

She walks closer and… Takes hold of my lapels. "That wasn't really where I was goin' with that."

I regard her flatly. "My home has every modern convenience known to man. It would literally drive you insane."

"Moin doesn't, and yew c'n teleport back to America."

"That's… True." I look Bláthnaid over. Lilac hair, generally pleasing form, superpowers… "Alright then. Dinner? I can pick you up at six, local time?"

She blinks, while her two friends grin at her. "Huh?"

"I don't know what banshee courtship is like, but communal eating and conversation are good standbys amongst humans." I take her hands from my lapels and gently raise them to my lips. "If you're willing."

She blinks, pulling away slightly. "Ah…"

Senior Agent Blaze loses her patience. "Sh'rain. Where is she?"

Bláthnaid backs up a step, retrieving her hands and turning to Senior Agent Blaze. "North. On th' coast. Near the Giant's Causeway."

"Roit." Senior Agent Blaze turns away and walks purposefully back towards the standing stones. "Let's get gowin'."

I follow on behind her, briefly turning back in Bláthnaid's direction. "I'll see you tonight!"

She nods awkwardly, while her green-haired friend gives her a shove.

Senior Agent Blaze gives me a mild glaring. "What was that in aid of?"

"Her or me, sir?"

"I t'ink I know what she were aimin' fer. I thought yew'd have more sense."

"Banshee menfolk may be content to stammer and stutter when a woman shows interest, but that's not really how humans do things. The Alliance is responsible for policing all alien populations but since she's not the subject of an investigation there's no conflict of interest. Is there a problem that I'm not seeing?"

"Oi had t' submerge myself in human society fer a long time t' understand it. She hasn't. She isn't goin' t' have the sloitest clue."

"I know." I smile. "It's going to be fun. And honestly, getting a grasp of the average banshee's grasp of what's going on is probably going to be more useful than your own unusually insightful view." She raises her eyebrows. "Other isolationist communities are going to be in a similar position, and a lot of our work will be with them."

"We'll be back t' shootin' vampires before too long."

She's going to have a fun time when Alliance Personnel Resources gets around to writing a racial equality policy. But I should phrase it diplomatically.

"Oh, I don't think so, sir. I don't think that Chairman Dorn will allow anyone who embarrasses him or weakens his negotiating position to survive the experience. He's making too much money."

She huffs dismissively. "He'll show his true colours soon enough."

"I believe that his true colour is green, sir. I don't suppose that the Giant's Causeway actually has any significance, does it?"

She shakes her head. "Not as far as oi know. If the titani were throwin' rocks at somethin', it's not there any more."

"Good show. Then let's hope this is simple. Oh, and if there's any advice you can give me about courting a banshee female, I'm all ears."

23rd July 2013
08:47 GMT

I push a frond out of the way as we march through the forest towards the last place I saw a Primitive settlement.

…

"Are you alright? You haven't said anything."

"I was just… Thinking. Wasn't she..? Dating Batman?"

"Yes. Ah. She might want you to chase her over the rooftops a few times in lieu of a more conventional date-."

"How..? How old is she?"

Hm. "What's a polite way of saying 'don't worry, she's not interested in a long term relationship'?"

"I don't think there is one. But… Going back to how old she is..?"

"I don't think you're supposed to ask a woman that. Older than you, certainly. She's pretty hot, though."

"… Yeah… That… Wasn't really what I was thinking about."

"You..? Weren't thinking about how hot the woman with the big breasts in the skin tight leather is?"

"I kinda am now. How about-. Girls our age?"

"Lantern Taranna is about our age. I can put in a good word. Zatanna's single… I think."

"You've got Lanterns our age?" I look at him, raising my left eyebrow. "I mean, other than you?"

"She's not even our youngest recruit. Her adopted daxamite brother is about five years younger."

"Why would you recruit someone that young?"

"He needed to get off his homeworld quickly and he had the right mindset. We're not sending him out to fight the Reach, but he's still doing a lot of good work in the reconstruction arm of N.E.M.O.. And between his power ring and his own toughness, he's more resilient than most things he's likely to bump into."

"How tough is he?"

"Daxamites are basically mildly mutated kryptonians. They absorb a wider variety of wavelengths but get hurt by materials with a high attenuation coefficient as a result. So, very tough."

"Does Superman know about them?"

"Yes. But they're Luddite isolationists with a Kryptonian space age planetary defence system. Visiting would be… Awkward. And the only daxamite woman I even slightly know is Lantern Yat's mother, and… She doesn't like aliens. And she's married. And she sent a giant monster after me."

"No, I… I wasn't thinking about it like that."

"I get that response from some women."

"How about Zatanna?"

"No, she's never sent a giant monster after me."

"Do you think I've got a shot?"

"You have many shots. Your weapons are powered by energy drawn from a bleed torsion generator and stored in ultra-high density capacitors."

"With Zatanna?"

"No, of course not." He splutters. "Zatanna is a young woman, not a gun. She has neither a ray emitter nor any sort of projectile delivery system-."

He stops. "You're messing with me!"

I snigger quietly. "Of course I'm taking the piss, genius."

"A-HAH!" He grins as he starts walking again. "I wasn't sure if it was that or you were just really autistic!"

"I think someone would have spotted it if I was that bad by now."

"Yeah, I guess." He smiles broadly inside his helmet. "So, do I?"

"I don't know. My personal relationship with Zatanna is somewhat complicated, but you're a reasonably attractive and heroically inclined young man and I'd say that you've got as good a chance as anyone."

"Oh? Did you two date?"

"No, we fake-dated while we were plotting against Nabu. And she wanted to date but I thought that would be taking advantage inappropriately, and afterwards she got a bit obsessive for a while, but.. she got over it and we're perfectly happy as friends now."

Almost certainly. I mean, I missed that that wasn't what was happening the first time, so I could be completely wrong.

"How 'obsessive' is a bit obsessive?"

"Fairly obsessive."

"Is that a red flag, or..?"

I consider answering 'only to cowards', but I think I should take this more seriously.

"She was using the Star Sapphire. I don't know if you-."

"I was there when Green Lantern talked to Green Arrow about Carol Ferris going crazy. I know exactly what it can make someone do."

"It wasn't quite that bad, but-. We got rid of it. Sent it back to Zamaron. She's fully recovered."

"I dunno, dude. That still sounds like a red flag."

I shrug. "No red flags with Taranna. She's a delightful person."

"But she lives on the other side of the galaxy."

"I could offer her additional tuition. Earth has actually decayed to the point where I could justify bringing a support Lantern or two to help with things."

"Maybe I could just..? Call her first?"

I nod. "I'll get her number once we get back to Earth. Oh, ah, her species is fairly standard humanoid, but she's got cybernetic eyes."

"Like..?" He makes a curving gesture over his eye orbits.

"No, no, regular size. But they're very obviously not-"

"Uuuuuugh."

"-organic. Double time."

We jog through the jungle towards the source of the moan, fronds whipping past as we burst into the clearing containing the Primitive's village-.

And the open air sanatorium it's become.

23rd July 2013
08:51 GMT

A handful of people -all human-looking- are moving around, offering water to those laying on blankets on the ground. It looks like the disease induces a fever, so they're not covered in anything-.

And I see one of the people doing the ministering cough, indicating that they're infected as well. Some have an oddly patchy rash, raised areas of skin that are red in colour. Coughing and wheezing indicate an airway obstruction but it doesn't sound phlegmy. One elderly woman who has people clasping her hands is shuddering-.

I transition forwards, taking a purple healing ray out of subspace as the people around me recoil in alarm.

"Orange Lantern Two Eight One Four, I'm here to help."

A.. slightly dazed-looking man stares at me. "What-?"

He sounds slightly hoarse but doesn't have any other overt symptoms.

"I'm an Orange Lantern. I was coming here for something else, but I'm happy to provide aid. This-" I hold up the healing ray. "-is a healing device from my homeworld. May I try it on your patient?"

"It-." He and the woman holding the elder's other hand exchange a glance. "It looks like a gun."

"It turns out that shape is very practical." I point it at my own face and pull the trigger. "See? Harmless."

The old woman gives out a pained moan. "Dying. Not going to-. Make it worse."

"Grandmother-." The man nods. "Do it."

I turn the healing ray around and fire it at her chest. My current patient looks like she was well-preserved. As a New God I've got no idea how old she actually is. Since she's a Primitive she might be her apparent physical age, or she could be thousands of years older.

Heh. I remember an advert I saw… Many years ago, about cultural differences. A couple of male American teenagers watched an attractive woman walk past in a bikini, and one commented that in Europe, going topless was common in some places. Practically the law. His companion found the idea rather appealing. Then the scene switched to a beach in Italy, where a couple of male Italian teenagers winced and averted their eyes as a rather rotund Italian woman stripped down. One said to the other; 'In America, they have to leave that on. It's the law.'

"Madam, is that any better?"

She blinks, struggling to focus. "A little."

"Is it any easier to breathe?"

"Lantern." Roy approaches me from behind, deploying his own healing ray. "Should I offer that?"

I move the ray's beam up to my patient's head as her breathing appears to ease. Purple healing rays can't cure diseases, but they're good at treating symptoms.

I glance at the woman on my right. "Ma'am? Could you please escort Arsenal to the most critical cases?"

She stares at me for a moment, then her gaze drops back to her elder.

"Or find someone who can?"

The old woman's eyes focus on her. "Do it, granddaughter. They can hardly make the situation worse."

"Are you well, grandmother?"

"Better than I was."

"If you could tell me where it hurts?"

"Everywhere. But my chest and head are the worst. Is this a cure?"

"No, just a palliative. I'm just treating the symptoms. I didn't realise that New Gods could get ill."

"We're not immortal. Just very tough."

Her granddaughter waves at a…. Yellow-skinned snakeman who.. is just about the only person here not in tribal dress. Which given that most of them have pale skin makes me feel a little awkward. "Sserpa, these aliens have medicine. Take Arsenal to the worst affected."

He slithers a little closer and makes a beckoning motion with his right hand. Roy nods and follows him towards a group who are coughing almost constantly.

"Head clearer?"

"Yes. Thank you."

I move the beam to her right arm-.

"Don't bother doing that. I don't need my arms or legs to live. Help someone closer to reuniting with the Source."

I turn to the man and play it over his head. "Sir, please let me know when things become clearer."

"I feel… Clear."

"Sir, if you could please try to be a little more helpful. Allowing yourself to deteriorate helps no one."

"No, no, dizziness is the first stage. I've got days before it gets bad. And it doesn't get better. I'll be fine for a few minutes and then I'll start losing focus again."

I move down to his throat. "What sort of provision do your people have for disease outbreaks?"

"The forests of New Genesis are a wonder of natural remedies. But nothing we know of works. We can't even relieve the symptoms!"

Odd. They should at least be able to make an anti-inflammatory.

"I don't suppose that you have anything like a microbiology laboratory?"

"No." He shrugs, clearly confused. "It shouldn't be necessary. This isn't a forest as you may have on your world. This is a wonder of the Old Gods; a natural cornucopia of foods and remedies."

Just not for whatever this is. Or perhaps there is a cure here, but the disease spread too fast. "Have you considered consulting Supertown?"

Three sets of eyes glower at me.

"I know that you don't have good relations, but are relations so bad that you're willing to die over it?"

The old woman scowls. "We have had no contact with anyone who has not been here before. No new plants or animals have been sighted. Supertown is the one place this may have come from."

"I doubt that they care enough about you-" I turn off the beam, getting a nod of gratitude from the man. "-to create a disease to target you, especially as it could infect them as well. Next most urgent?"

He stands, beckoning me to follow him. "This way. And there is no one else that it could have been."

I follow him across the camp towards a primitive looking building. "Apokolips? Bugs?"

"The bugs have even less ability to create something like this than we do. And if Apokolips has such a disease then they would use it on Supertown before us. And we keep watch for their Boom Tubes."

"Ships?"

"None have landed. And if they have, we have not met their crew."

"Alright. I'm not a physician or virologist, but I'll do what I can to help. Who do you have in-?" I step in after him, seeing…

Of course. The children wouldn't be immune, would they?

15th August 2000
09:55 GMT

Senior Agent Blaze glances back at me as we fly over Northern Ireland, a mild frown on her face.

"Sir?"

"Oi'm not used to being paired up with someone else who can fly."

I nod. "As far as I know, it's just the two of us. May I ask you a question?"

"You just did. But you can ask another too."

"Do you want to visit the banshee homeworld?"

She thinks for a moment, then shrugs. "Can't say I really thought about it. Even if Queen Mab was willin' t' get everyone together just to open a portal, if would be one way. And oi wouldn't know anyone there."

"Ah. No. Since Sir Percival was able to give me the relevant star charts, I'm perfectly capable of flying there myself. It's not much more effort to take passengers. Since Earth's banshees are at peace, I was thinking of offering… I.. don't know how to phrase it… Advertising? Amongst the people of your homeworld for additional colonists. A few males, for example."

"We don't need 'em. Humans work perfectly well for siring the wee ones. Why'd you think Bláthnaid was showin' an interest in yew?"

"I thought she was trying to establish dominance. Do… Most banshees on Earth have human fathers, then?"

"Some o' the younger ones. Mab has a banshee sire. Oi never asked the others."

"You?"

She shrugs indifferently. "My mother never said. I would have said 'yes' 'til I found out who Sh'rain's sire was. Now oi jus' don't know."

I'd be fascinated to see the effect on her D.N.A.. Comics and Star Trek have encouraged me to assume that the result of a fertile human-alien pairing would be a hybrid, but I haven't seen any real difference between Senior Agent Blaze and the elder banshees. I suppose it could be more like asari, where the partner is used to induce parthenogenesis. Or I suppose that banshee could be altered humans themselves, with their exotic abilities engineered into their bodies by a smart virus… So it wouldn't matter whether one or both parents were banshees because the foetus would be infected either way.

Unfortunately, reading a person's D.N.A. with a green power ring is a bit more difficult than that, so…

"Have you considered having your genetic code analysed? Obviously, nowhere on Earth has any records of male banshee, but if your father was human we could narrow down which part of the world he came from."

She frowns. "Oi hardly t'ink that matters."

"Well, it could be a little awkward if it turns out that he was one of Senior Agent Logan's antecedents."

"That doesn't seem loikly. We didn't leave Ireland all that much."

"The Irish Potato Famine was a hundred and fifty years ago, and that caused a significant wave to emigration from Ireland to America. The name 'Logan' is Gaelic in-."

"Oi know it's Gaelic." She rolls her eyes at me. "My mother didn't have me a hundred and fifty years ago."

"That statement could be taken two ways, sir."

"If oi'm not tellin' Nick me age I'll certainly not tell the likes o'you."

"Sir, according to him, Sir Percival is pushing a billion. All the centuries he's been on Earth are the proportional equivalent of me spending an hour at a café. And if Her Majesty doesn't mind that, I doubt that you've got anything to worry about."

"Oi'm not worried. It jus' shouldn't matter."

"If you're hiding it, then it clearly matters."

"Oh? Want to know how old Bláthnaid is, do yeh?"

"Sir, we haven't even been on one date yet. You and Senior Agent Logan have been together for far longer. Though I admit, I am curious as to whether she'll duck the question in the way that you do."

Her eyes narrow. "Oi t'ink oi loiked yew better when you talked with yer hands."

I smile, tap both index fingers against my chest and then tap the tips against each other.

"Psh."

And there's the coast, and… Senior Agent Blaze is turning off and descending towards… Yes, there it is. The circle of stones is clearly broken, but I can see the faint glow as Sh'rain and her attendant conduct their repairs, gradually reforming the stone and… Whatever else their magic requires. Ahead of me, Senior Agent Blaze takes a moment to observe their progress and then changes direction from towards them to straight down.

"Best not surprise them. That's delicate work, so it is."

I descend, landing lightly on the ground alongside her. "Is there any significance to this location?"

"Oi don't t'ink so. But standing stones make the land feel… Better."

"Feel better to banshees, or is there a tangible effect on plants and animals?"

"Why would it matter?"

I shrug. "I was just thinking that integrating banshees into Irish society would be easier if there was something your people could offer in trade."

She folds her arms across her chest. "Loik all those vampires you convinced t' join the Alliance?"

"Ah-. The principle's the same, but I'm not sure that would be safe for banshee, considering…" Hm. "Though I suppose that sticking standing stones in isolated places might make keeping in contact with the more isolated extraterrestrial populations easier. Particularly those who aren't willing to trust the Alliance yet."

"Maybe they're happy where they are."

I nod. "They might be, but banshees used to live in a far wider variety of places. You can't be the only one interested in the rest of the world."

She snorts. "I t'ink yew'll find oi can."

"So I should take dinner to Bláthnaid?"

She hesitates, carefully watching the build team as the rock repairs itself faster and faster as they near completion. "Y'could try takin' her to a cabin in the woods. A restaurant in a town's a bit o'a risk."

"How about an isolated service station along a motorway? It's not exactly fine dining, but it would be a change of pace for her."

She gives me a sidelong glance, but looks slightly amused. "Feelin' cheap, are ye?"

"No, just… Like you said, I don't want to overwhelm her, either with industry or strangeness."

"Oi'd say you've got.. five seconds."

"Huh?"

"Four seconds!"

Hair's up eyes glowing fuck! I armour up, grab her and fly towards the standing stones!

Sh'rain and her assistant have their hair up too, though they look a bit more functional. They raise their hands for a moment before they confirm who I am and lower them again.

"Three seconds!"

Grab them-

"What'd'yeh t'ink yer doing!"

"Two seconds!"

-armoured globe and head upwards-

"One second!"

-as a big robot appears, crouched over the standing stones.