Control through Compassion - MCU/Lantern Corps

[Fenrir]

So I know that each of the lantern corps colors/emotions give their respective corps unique abilities; for example willpower being the most stable, rage being incredibly destructive, avarice can seize control of other corps' constructs, etc. What unique abilities does the Indigo tribe possess? ...besides brainwashing criminals to be compassionate.

Also the colors are fine for me.

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Orange devours the other lights, Indigo can use the other lights. Also teleportation(this is a massive drain though).

 

[MadGreenSon]

It's why I've always kind of doubted the claims that Shuri is smarter than Tony.

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It's actually something that's hard to measure as we don't have much information about Shuri's own accomplishments. How much of the tech that she uses is stuff she invented and how much is just... y'know, Wakandan tech?

 

[hzuilquigmnzhah]

perhaps the secondary green as it looks clearer on dark mode

 

[Infinite Dragon]

By the way is Indigo unique in that it has so many special abilities or do the other corps have just as many?

 

[MadGreenSon]

By the way is Indigo unique in that it has so many special abilities or do the other corps have just as many?

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They all have something. Blue, for instance, is fucking ridiculous to the point that they put the brakes on it hard.

 

[GraphiteCrow]

ooooh I can't wait for the possible pairing... but who hmmm, I guess Scarlet Witch could be a good match at least age-wise and theme-wise. A witch and a Shaman.

 

[JeckJack]

By the way is Indigo unique in that it has so many special abilities or do the other corps have just as many?

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All of them have a handful of unique abilities. Besides the default lantern abilities of making constructs, teleporting, force-fields, translation, etc. which all colors have.

Red: Hatred/Anger/Disgust/Judgement

• Empathy/the power to detect the emotions of others.
• Conversion of the Lantern's blood into boiling-hot acidic destructive energy, and giving them the ability to vomit up that energy as an extremely powerful weapon.
• If not properly controlled, it will lodge itself in the heart of a Red Lantern so that the ring can't be removed, and then drive the Red Lantern into a feral rage where they will mindlessly hunt down whatever they hate.
• Constructs are extremely simple, but extremely powerful.
• The ability to disrupt and decay the constructs of other colors.

Orange: Avarice/Greed/Desire/Hunger/Jealousy/Want

• The ability to assimilate/enslave things. Orange Lanterns can 'infect' something with orange light to transform it into a permanent construct. This ranges from objects, to constructs created by other lanterns, to living creatures.
• The ability to brand something as belonging to the Orange Lantern, so that if anyone else touches it, the lantern will know. When used on a living thing, acts as a form of mind control, so that they want what the Orange lantern wants them to want.
• If not properly controlled, it will drive the Orange Lantern into a state of super-paranoia and absolute greed, where they want everything to belong to them, and are constantly worried of having something stolen, where they will act to take anything they want.
• Constructs made from assimilated people or objects are extremely difficult to permanently destroy, as they simply return to the ring when destroyed, but besides coming back again and again aren't especially durable or strong.

Yellow: Fear/Paranoia/Respect/Awe/Intimidation

• The ability to be fueled by not only the Yellow lantern's fear, but by other's fear of the Yellow Lantern.
• The ability to create constructs that automatically take the shape of the worst fears of those it's used against.
• Doesn't try to brainwash its Lanterns. (That much)
• Constructs depend on how scary the Yellow Lantern is, and how scared their opponent is of the particular construct.

Green: Willpower/Determination/Creativity/Focus

• Doesn't try to brainwash its Lanterns much at all.
• Easiest and most effective color to make constructs with. Constructs are as strong as the Lantern is determined.

Blue: Hope/Faith

• The power to heal and restore. Able to undo the effects of age, deterioration, illness, injury, etc.
• The power to reinforce and super-charge Green Lanterns.
• The power to weaken and counteract the bad effects of Red, Orange, and Yellow Lanterns.
• Doesn't try to brainwash its Lanterns. (That much.)
• Constructs tend to be very weak. Best used in support.

Indigo: Compassion/Kindness/Mercy/Guilt

• The power to heal slowly with the effect of making the person receiving healing relive everything bad they've ever done.
• The power to emulate the other colors of the Emotional Spectrum (besides white, black and ultraviolet). This means that they can channel the effects of other colors of light without being controlled by them. This requires that there be a source of that particular emotion nearby. Either the presence of constructs of that color, or simply people, or even the Lantern, feeling the emotions connected to that color.
• The power to teleport longer distances than Lanterns of other colors, and being able to do so in a way that cannot be tracked or traced.
• Tries to compel Indigo Lanterns to always act compassionately, to the point where they ignore their other emotions.
• Costructs tend to be relatively weak.

Violet: Love/Care/Devotion/Possessiveness/Protectiveness/Attraction

• The power to crystallize the violet light of love. These nearly-indestructible crystals will put living things that are encased in them in a state of suspended animation where they are bombarded with brainwashing to make them into loving and caring people when they come out. These crystals will convert encased power rings of other colors into more Violet rings. (One of the few ways to free a Red Lantern from their ring's clutches.)
• Extremely effective at counteracting the toxic effects of Red light.
• If not properly controlled, it will compel Violet Lanterns into becoming extremely possessive of their loved ones. To the point where they will try to hunt down, capture, and then encase their loved one in violet crystal in order to better protect and preserve them.
• If not properly controlled, it can also makes them extremely jealous and defensive, to the point where they will try to destroy those who broke up with them or rejected their love in the past, or try and destroy those who could threaten or create obstacles to their relationships.
• Constructs tend to be relatively strong.

White: Life/Togetherness/Empathy/Enlightenment/Peace/Self-preservation

• The power to bring people who are dead back to life with no real repercussions or costs.
• The power to create constructs that are, in themselves, living, breathing, things that will continue to exist even without additional ring power.
• The power to overwhelm and override any other color of constructs.
• Cannot be emulated by the indigo light.
• Will push the White Lantern towards feelings of peace.
• Constructs tend to be extremely strong.

Black: Despair/Emptiness/Loss/Apathy/Nihilism

• The power to raise people from the dead as undead zombies.
• The power to sense the emotions of others.
• The black light will prevent Black Lanterns from feeling anything at all except when killing.
• Cannot be emulated by the indigo light.
• Compels Black Lanterns to seek out those who feel strong emotions, and kill them, in order to feel those emotions for themselves, and create even more Black Lanterns.
• Constructs tend to be very strong.

Ultraviolet: Negativity/Shame/Meanness/Self-destructiveness/Cruelty/Envy/Lust

• The power to create incredibly destructive blasts.
• The power to fuel construct creation with ambient negative feelings of anyone nearby, not just the UV Lantern.
• Cannot be emulated by the indigo light.
• Compels UV Lanterns to act out on all their worst impulses and primal instincts.
• Constructs tend to be extremely strong.

 

[MadGreenSon]

• Constructs tend to be very weak. Best used in support.

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Blue constructs were nerfed deliberately unless they are working with Green. Because Blue is some bullshit.

 

[kayfizzlejosh]

Is the mind control and brainwashing in the tags only in reference to the MC, or other characters too?

 

[JeckJack]

Is the mind control and brainwashing in the tags only in reference to the MC, or other characters too?

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Other characters too.

 

[edmantgoog]

"Okay... here we go..." I've decided that before I do anything else, I should at the very least get a grip on what I have to work with. So I flew out to the middle of the lake, to the point where I'm far enough that I can barely see the land. The goal for now? Successfully emulating every color of emotion. I managed to make yellow work when I scared that poor guy into giving me his phone, and I used plenty of blue and indigo during the... blur.

I figure I should start with green. It's supposed to be the easiest color to use.

I close my eyes, but it doesn't take too many tries to make myself focus. When I open them, sure enough, the gem in my staff is glowing green. I look out over the lake, and then point towards it. Green light shoots out of the head, and creates a pretty simple bucket construct. Nothing fancy, basically Lantern 101. It scoops up a large amount of water... and then becomes translucent.

I can see the fish inside there.

Okay... now... I create holes in the bottom of the construct. The water drains out of the bucket, leaving just the fish- and there goes my construct. The fish falling safely back into the water only a few inches away. Come on! One was a carp! They're an invasive species!

Ugh. Never mind. The point is to practice. Actually, now that I do have a little red... I aim my staff back at the lake, and try to find that carp again... but I can't work up the nerve to actually fire. Oh well.

So... I've practiced with indigo, blue, yellow, and now green. I've been able to emulate each of them without too many problems. What next?

Orange could be pretty damn useful. I'll try that next.

Now... I'd feel bad about shooting a beam of pure hatred into the lake that might kill all kinds of things... but would I feel bad about transforming a carp into something I can put to good use? The gem of my staff glows orange, and I create another bucket construct. I turn it transparent, just like before, and then... ha. There you are. I create a fishing pole construct and let the line coil off and lower the hook into the water... upon which it seeks out the carp. It latches onto the fish painlessly, and the orange light from the construct begins to spill into it.

It's kind of hard to see, considering I'm already looking at it through a transparent orange filter, but I can still see that the carp's colors begin to change. It doesn't fight the effect, as far as I can tell, simply becoming a little more agitated at the most.

And then... its completely orange.

I drop the bucket construct gently into the water, and let the other fish go free. But the carp, now my carp, remains where it was, gently swimming in the air, surrounded by orange glow, and keeping its low-eyed gaze on me.

Spoiler: Carp

"How intelligent are you?"

I don't get much of an answer. "Swim up."

It does immediately, darting up higher into the sky. I want it to come back- and it does. Even without me giving an explicit order. Now... what else could orange constructs do? I think I remember that they could turn other living things into constructs, too? Like orange light zombies.

I grin evilly.

"Find all the other carp you can, and turn them orange too. Oh, and sea lampreys. And gobeys. And ruffe. And zebra mussels and-

...

Actually... that could turn out really badly. I don't know how good their attention span is. Obviously, getting rid of all of these invasive species would be good for the environment, but what if it can even recognize the species I'm thinking of. What if it just starts assimilating everything? Unleashing a wave of self-replicating orange zombie fish onto the great lakes might not be... great.

Find one other carp. Assimilate it, and bring it to me. Assimilate nothing else.

It swims down, and slips into the water. I wait for a few minutes, kind of nervous, before two orange lights swim over to me, and then rise out of the water.

Okay!

Now... find a sea lamprey, assimilate it, and nothing else. Huh. When I focused on the image of one, I think I felt a click in my carp's minds.

They both immediately dart back into the water. Maybe this could work.

...

But I think I'm going to practice with a smaller, less important lake before I do anything further. And besides, I'm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I have bigger problems coming up than invasive species. Apocalypse-level problems.

Which is why I'm practicing, to see what I can do.

So! Indigo, blue, yellow, green, orange, and now... red next. Its probably the best offensive option, so I should practice with that next.

I'm still unwilling to shoot a beam into the lake and hurt a bunch of innocent creatures, but I think an acceptable target will be heading back right... now.

Five orange lights rise up out of the water. Wait. Five?

The two glowing carp, now each with a glowing lamprey, although the smaller of the two was currently hanging onto a poor innocent lake trout. Which was also glowing orange. With a thought, I make it let go. I suppose this just goes to show why I had to be careful with construct lanterns. Even if my carp didn't go overboard, the lamprey they made did.

I have it squirm up, higher into the air. Then, I tell it to stay there. I raise up my staff, and try to feel angry at it. And... and nothing.

How do I make myself compassionately mad?

"Can I just... recall you guys? Make you disappear until I need you later?"

The first carp I assimilated glows briefly, and then transforms into a featureless ring. Then, the other four constructs all fade into light, and are sucked into the ring, which glows slightly brighter with each construct that enters its signet.

"Huh." I reach out to touch it and- nonononono! I drop it just as quickly. Not doing the fucking brainwashing thing again. No. NO.

I won't be controlled! I blast it with the staff!

To my shock, it... works? the corrosive blast of red light rips through the ring. Crackling and almost bubbling with energy as it does so. The thing explodes. And then I see the five orange constructs fleeing from the explosion, more-or-less fine. Hm.

So... I can emulate anger out of concern. For myself, and definitely for others. I can work with that. Righteous fury and all that.

Good to know I suppose.

"Return to being a ring." I order them, and they congeal once more, with the first carp as the base.

Now what to do with an orange ring? It's probably even more dangerous than the indigo one, honestly. The construct lanterns seem relatively safe though in their normal shapes. I lightly tap the orange ring, and focus on drawing out my lamprey in that moment. And, sure enough, I draw out one glowing orange lamprey before I break contact.

"...Eat that." I say, pointing at the orange ring. The lamprey surges forwards and latches onto it. Within a few moments ring seems to dissolve into it. The construct lantern is glowing a lot brighter than before, but seems... stable. Okay. I can work with this. It's still doing what I want, too.

"Now... wait in here." I say, unzipping my fanny pack, "And don't eat anything else until I tell you to!" It slithers through the air, and into the pack. I zip it shut afterwards, and let out a sigh.

Well. A loyal construct lantern on demand isn't a small thing at all.

I refocus myself, and grip the staff tighter. I've practiced emulating every emotion now except for the violet light of love. I was, either fortunately or unfortunately, between girlfriends when I suddenly appeared here. It was probably a good thing, because it meant that she wouldn't have to worry about my sudden disappearance. But it also meant I didn't really have anyone in particular to focus on at the moment. I mean, there's always memories... but I'm not sure how to make use of them.

Maybe... a general, unselfish love for just about everybody? I love humanity. I love humanity! In order to help everyone, I need to know how to use my powers.

So... crystal shield!

No. Not quite. Maybe something more direct... I love myself. I want to know how to protect myself. Crystal shield!

It doesn't quite come out all at once like I expected, but a beam of light spills out of the gem, and takes shape like my previous constructs. It forms a shield, and then the construct crystallizes, becoming something genuinely solid. And it's kind of gorgeous. It's like I created a pink diamond the size of a windshield! I wonder if I could sell this. Probably not a smart idea.

Okay. So that was the last emotion. I'm not sure I can call any of it reliable, but I have a taste for each of them now.

And considering that's a police boat heading towards me, I think I have a good sense of timing for when to stop. I fly up into the air, before realizing I've left the crystal shield floating in the air. How do I get rid of it? I think willpower could be used to break them, but I'm not positive.

I'm not sure my willpower is that strong, anyway.

Can I... recall it? I aim the staff at it, and try to pull it back- but no dice. The police boat is getting closer...

If I leave it here, people are going to probably study it, or weaponize it, or someone is going to turn themselves into a Star Sapphire or something. Come on!

If it's made by love... I'm safe, I don't need it any more.

I smile, relieved, as it begins to disintegrate, the fragments it breaks into boiling away into nothing. Satisfied that I'm not leaving anything behind, I fly off again.

---

Colors:
Do any of the colors hurt you eyes, or are you finding them hard to read?

Right now, I'm using these colors:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet

But I could switch over to using these:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet

Or a combination of both lists if it's easier for anyone. Please let me know.

edit: I'm keeping the original colors, but switching this Indigo to this Indigo to make it a bit easier to read.

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the top colours are finne but i perfer the second indigo since it is less harsh on the eyes while still being easy to see

 

[Fasd]

Blue: Hope/Faith

• The power to heal and restore. Able to undo the effects of age, deterioration, illness, injury, etc.
• The power to reinforce and super-charge Green Lanterns.
• The power to weaken and counteract the bad effects of Red, Orange, and Yellow Lanterns.
• Doesn't try to brainwash its Lanterns. (That much.)
• Constructs tend to be very weak. Best used in support.

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You forgot that they can also fix a Red lanterns heart, also the strength of the Blues is off. The leader of the Blues, Saint Walker, is as strong as the Greens. Check out his story, dude is Hope personified.

 

[JeckJack]

You forgot that they can also fix a Red lanterns heart, also the strength of the Blues is off. The leader of the Blues, Saint Walker, is as strong as the Greens. Check out his story, dude is Hope personified.

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I think "fixing a red lanterns heart" can be covered by healing/restoring and undoing the bad effects of red lanterns. And I said the constructs 'tend' to be weak. The strongest lantern in the whole corps having constructs stronger than the others is an exception.

 

[Fasd]

The strongest lantern in the whole corps having constructs stronger than the others is an exception.

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True, he does not use it too often cause he does not want his Blues to feel bad cause they are not as strong as him lol.

 

[JeckJack]

"Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars..." I hum, staring up at the Earth from my seat. The white dusty desert of the moon stretched off in every direction around me.

The reason I was here was twofold: One, I was laying low after a string of daring heists. Two, I could now declare I was the first woman on the moon.

Stretched out in front of me, protected inside a big globe of indigo light, were my ill-gotten gains.

First: food. Because I was starving. Turns out? I didn't eat during the blur. At all. Even while having my brain overwritten by the ring I remembered to drink some water occasionally, thank god, but I didn't eat anything for forty hours. After I finished practicing with my emotion emulation, I realized all at once that I was super fucking hungry. So, I walked into a gas station, grabbed whatever looked appetizing, and realized then and there that when I was dragged to this universe, it was without my wallet.

I guess I should just be happy I collapsed into bed that night still wearing my pants, a shirt, and my fanny pack. There was an equally-likely chance I would have been pulled into this universe in my pajamas, or even just naked.

So. I was starving, without any money, and already holding food. So I stole it.

I still felt guilty, honestly, but I could always pay them back later, and I genuinely needed the food. Having justified the act of theft once, I decided I might as well keep going and grab whatever else I needed now, and worry about paying for it later.

And I would be paying for it later. I wrote down the names and addresses of both stores to check back up on later once I had a little spending money.

So, here I was on the moon, with a brand-new laptop (ancient), a new phone (ancient), a handheld GPS navigator (going to be so useful when flying), a DS (the most recent Pokemon game in this year is Black and White, how crazy is that), and a week's worth of groceries (not much difference in the last decade there at least), and a huge backpack to hold everything (very cute). Somehow, being almost ten years in the past is almost as weird as being in a universe where aliens and gods and superheroes exist.

I eat another granola bar as I watch a swirling white cloud drift from one part of the globe to another. I'm... pretty sure that's not a hurricane? That clouds just look like that.

Opening up the laptop, I go to a word processor, and start writing down everything I can remember from the Marvel Cinematic universe. At least in terms of dates. For the most part, the movies take place in the time they were released in, with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, which takes place right after the first, and Doctor Strange, which happens over the course of a few years, I think.

I put together a timeline to work off of, based on general threats to the world. Or, other worlds too I guess. Ronan wasn't really a threat to Earth, but I should probably do something about him anyway.

2012 - Loki & Extremis
2013 - Malekith
2014 - Insight & Ronan & Ego
2015 - Ultron & Yellowjacket
2016 - Civil War, Killmonger, Vulture... not really apocalyptic-level stuff, but I can still help.
2017 - Dormammu & Ragnarok
2018 - Thanos

Huh. Now that I look at it in order like this, there aren't really that many things to take care of. Not that much of this will be actually easy. And... I'm not sure how much of this I can actually deal with right now until it personally shows its face on Earth. I have no idea where Loki is, or Dormammu or Thanos, or any of the more cosmic villains.

I glance back at my staff. Supposedly, I can use that to teleport, but I'm not really sure how. I spent a few minutes earlier trying to teleport, but didn't have any luck. Then again, maybe I was going about it the wrong way. If it's a compassion-based ability... maybe I can only go where I'm needed? I'll of course experiment more later.

Once I had a plan on what to tackle first.

I guess I could aim for the 'easy' stuff first. People without any spaceships or planet-destroying capabilities. Terrorists and corrupt business men and stuff like that. It's probably be fairly easy to find someone like Killian or Cross or... Pierce.

Or Arnim Zola.

Now there's a thought. I could use an AI. And if I have control of him, I could probably help fix the whole Hydra infiltration of SHIELD thing more easily, since he would have to know who all the Hydra infiltrators are. I think if I turned him into a construct-lantern with orange light, he would still be able to do all of his computer stuff, while being able to go where I want him to and doing what I say.

I put everything except the handheld navigator back into my pack, and then sling it over my shoulders. I pull my staff forwards, untangle my hair from it, and float up towards the Earth.

---

As I fly towards Camp Lehigh, Virginia, I bite at my lips. I'm beginning to seriously doubt my ability to do this. On my way down, I remembered what it felt like to touch the orange ring- the immediate grip it had on the way I think.

One part of it is that I feel like a hypocrite for considering forcing something that terrifies me on someone else. And finally, I'm still not sure if assimilation is something it's okay do to any person regardless of any other circumstances. It would permanently change the way he thinks.

When your powers run on compassion, not being sure that you're doing the right thing is... dangerous. My flight aura has been fading in and almost out the entire flight, depending on my opinion moment-to-moment, and I haven't been able to move anywhere close to my top speed. At one point, when my thoughts turned in a particularly callous direction, my aura went out completely and I was sent spiraling at high speed towards the ground.

I think my lamprey saved my life in that moment.

I wanted to live, so he responded to that and swam upwards inside my fanny pack even as I fell. It slowed me down long enough to get a grip on my emotions and establish the flight aura again. Since that terrifying incident, I've resolved that regardless of whether or not I assimilate Zola or just try to cut him off from the rest of Hydra or something, I need to do something about him, or he'll just keep on arranging for people to get murdered.

I glance back down at the navigator in my hand, and then turn a little bit more to the North. It shouldn't be too much farther.

...

Okay Atika, you need to make a choice about this.

I stop flying forwards, and simply hover in the air over a patch of woods. Dropping down below the treeline, I find a relatively clear spot, and land. I let go of my grip on the staff, leaving it to hang in the air.

Without the shield, the temperature and smells of the forest hit me head-on, and I shiver slightly. It's night time, after all, and my clothes aren't especially warm.

Stop distracting yourself, me.

I've already made plenty of justifications for going through with this- and none of them are invalid. but it still feels wrong.

I need to look at this in a different way. Does he deserve to be free?

That's easy: no. If he does count as a person, he's a person who joined Hitler, designed weapons for him, and then joined the Red Skull, who did human experimentation and who was planning on nuking basically every major city in the world. Then he received a second chance to do something unrelated, and instead of trying to make up for his sins he just recreated Hydra, started a bunch of wars, wrote an algorithm designed to find anyone who might potentially oppose his group's fascist rule, and then came up with a plan to use a giant flying battleship to commit mass-murder.

That's worth a lifetime in prison at least.

If I stop him from doing bad things and force him to do good things, would that better or worse than prison? Would it count as slavery or count as rehabilitation?

Heh.

That's the purpose of the Indigo rings isn't it? Rehabilitation. You stick one on a horrible criminal, and suddenly they're incapable of doing anything but acting out of compassion. It brainwashes them into being better people. The only difference is that for Zola, I'd be doing it with the orange light rather than the indigo one. I would make him do what I want, rather than what Hydra wants. If anything, it's better than being stuck in a blur like I was. The carp wasn't distressed or in pain when I converted it into a construct-lantern, and when left to its own devices, it keeps on doing carp stuff.

Zola won't have free will, but I'm not forcing him into the blur. I'm not hurting him... I'm just making him do things that will help the world rather than hurt it. Maybe by the end, he'll become a genuinely better person.

Am I okay with that?

...

I think I am.

I take up the staff again, and it's glowing with a steady indigo light.

When I shoot up into the air, it's at my full speed. The navigator shows that the camp is getting closer and closer, and soon I can see the abandoned buildings. As I hover over it, I open my fanny pack and let my lamprey squirm out. "Thanks for saving me, little guy," I tell him.

He doesn't really respond, simply swimming through the air idly.

"Can you spit out the others?"

He stops, and then from out of his mouth, four more orange lights emerge. My construct-lantern school coming close as I hold out my hand. "...I can feel what you guys do, sometimes." I say, "Can you... show me what you're seeing?"

All at once, I can see myself from five perspectives. Five... weird perspectives. The range of vision is different for each of them, and the different species of different levels of color vision. Its disorienting, but after a few seconds, I'm more-or-less used to it.

"Swim down, and look at all the buildings. When I see the one I need, a trapezoid-shaped building with grass on top of it-" I try to send the image, and I think I can feel them reacting to it, "I'll head your way."

My school breaks up, and immediately begin darting downwards towards the camp. Urgh. Nope. Wasn't actually used to it yet. When all five were looking at the same thing- me -I could deal but now that they're all going in different directions, I'm just getting nauseous. But I don't break off the connection, trying to focus on what my fish are seeing. Actually... it's too dark for that.

"Glow." I order, "Bright. Enough that you can see everything clearly."

That's a bit better. Still nauseous, but at least I might recognize it when I see it.

I close my own eyes, and things get a bit better, without my own field of vision getting muddled with the others. Minutes pass by as I dismiss whatever they see as not being the building I'm looking for. After a little while, my nausea dies down, and the fish seem to find a better rhythm, moving faster and faster, showing me more and more of the camp until-

"There! You found it!" I shout, grinning. "Okay. That's enough guys. Lamprey, collect the others and come back to me." the images fade from my mind, and I relax as my vision isn't split into five directions.

I descend at high speed, and land in front of the building they had been searching for. Within a few seconds, Lamprey returns still glowing... incredibly bright. I want- oh, thank you, Lamprey." I say as he dims down to non-painful levels of illumination.

Looking towards the building, I raise my staff, and aim the head at it. I need to get to Zola. With that, a bolt of indigo energy lances out and blasts the padlock clean off. I push my way in, Lamprey swimming dutifully behind me.

I walk down the steps, and into the long-abandoned offices of SHIELD. Lamprey responds to my desire for a bit more light, and starts glowing a little brighter again, illuminating our way. Now... if I'm remembering the movie right, the elevator is by a wall somewhere. Hidden behind a shelf.

But I don't actually need to find it.

I need to get to Zola.

The staff's jewel changes to green, and I create a construct in the form of a drill! No. Actually, I'm in control of how it looks. And the strength of the image is important to the effectiveness of the construct, right? I straight up change it into Lagann!

I climb inside, cross my arms, and giggle. Lamprey swims in after me, and then the canopy of the construct gunman closes. Just for the fun of it, I grab hold of the controls with my free hand- one has to remain on the staff, of course, and pushes it forwards!

Going down!

The construct isn't a functional replica of Lagann, of course. The controls aren't actually connected to anything. I simply will the drill on the bottom to start spinning, and will the entire construct in a downwards direction. The drill eats through floorboard, concrete, and then earth incredibly quickly, and relatively smoothly.

After a minute or two, we hit another room entirely.

I stop supporting the construct immediately, and I float down into the room. Lamprey's glow illuminates countless rows of ancient-looking computer towers in every direction.

I am standing in Arnim Zola's brain.

 

[Robotninja]

Loki

Click to shrink...

Be sure to ask him if he really did get pregnant as a horse. It'll be hilarious.

 

[nobodez]

fun chapter.

 

[Killtime101]

This is interesting and good so far, watched~

 

[Jirachi]

eagerly awaits the yuri, but otherwise resist passing judgement beyond being at least passable

 

[StealthGorgon1]

I look forward to seeing more. It's also a little terrifying to see how indigo rings affect people

 

[JeckJack]

"Okay... Get to work."

Lamprey surges forwards to the nearest computer, and bites onto it. Veins of orange light begin to spread from the bite mark, before he pulls off, swims to another tower, and bites it as well. This might... take a while. I watch as one of the spinning wheels inside the case turns orange, the color bleeding into the tape, and then reaching the second wheel a moment later.

Definitely a while.

"Get the others on it too. And try and cover a wide area as quickly as you can."

Four more lights emerge from Lamprey before taking on the shapes of the rest of the school, and soon all five are darting from place to place, leaving bites.

At every point of contact, the orange spreads out like an infection. Light expanding like ink in water over the metal, glass, and plastic surfaces.

"Excuse me!" I hear from the intercoms, "You will cease this activity immediately."

"Zola?" I shout. Could he pick me up from here?

"You know who I am? Then you have specifically sought me out." I raise the staff, and focus on what I'm here to do. I unleash my own beam, aiming for a row of towers none of my school of construct-lanterns has touched. Wherever it touches, more of the orange infection takes hold. "I am far from helpless." Zola continues to speak, "If you are aware of my existence, you likely know the influence I hold. I will give you this one chance to surrender."

I do have to worry about missiles, don't I? But if Captain America could survive the fallout with just his shield, I could as well.

I let my orange beam peter out, leaving it to the school, and instead try to turn my mind towards love again. I love myself. I want to protect myself.

My staff glows violet- well, if we're being honest, it's honestly more of a magenta, but everyone calls it 'Violet' so whatever -and I aim it at the ceiling. Magenta light spills out in a geyser, splashing up against the ceiling, covering all of it, and even stretching to the floor. Then, all at once, the light crystallizes, creating a shield.

Huh. That was almost phallic.

Relatively safe for the moment, I float myself over to the front of the room, where Zola's... face is located.

The camera on top of the monitor turns to look at me, and I give it a little wave.

"You are the Healing Lady from Minnesota." he announces, "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to do what I'm best at." I say, "Healing."

"Then I am afraid that such an action is not only unwanted, but impossible." he says, the image on the monitor shifting slightly, "I am already in my ideal state. My thoughts have never been clearer. If you were to try and restore me to what I was before, you would be doing me a disservice. Besides, there are no existing organic remains of my previous body. If this is some kind of attempt to endear yourself to me and to HYDRA, this is the wrong way to go about it."

"If this works like I'm hoping, you won't lose any of that brainpower. But it will let you move under your own power again, if you choose to." I let my grin fall, "And I'm not trying to endear myself to you. I'm recruiting you. Or rather, making you pay your debt to society. And considering how big of a debt you have, mister Nazi warmonger, it's a life sentence." I walk behind the module, so that the camera can't watch me.

The head of my staff glows orange again, and this time I aim the head of it at the back of the screen. It spreads to the camera, and Zola's voice seemed to have gained a panicked tone, "Explain what you are doing."

"Not until you stop transmitting everything to Hydra people." all the screens are orange now, as well as the module. More and more of the massive room, the 'two hundred thousand feet of databanks' is flaring up with a golden glow.

It won't be long now.

"There is something wrong with my archives. You are altering my data!"

The entire room is lit up now, more orange than not. The only computers left to be converted were on the fringes.

"Well. I suppose it doesn't matter." Zola announced, somber, "It seems we are out of time. It is a waste, but HYDRA must protect the data I hold."

Suddenly, the entire room shakes violently, and light brighter than the glow of my construct-lanterns shines through my crystal-love shield, coloring the room pink. Above us, the concrete ceiling is no more, rendered utterly into rubble. There's a disturbing sound like hail against glass for several seconds, and a general rumble all around us.

After a few seconds, it's over.

Well. It seemed like my love-shield could hold up to a missile attack. That was always good to know.

"I... how do I still function?" Zola asks, confused, "My generators were destroyed, even if whatever you did saved the databank room. I do not have power. Yet I still function. Only a small portion of my brain is feeling any ill effects from the destruction of this facility and even they are being reactivated almost as soon as they go out. I do not understand. How am I still thinking without electricity- oh."

Oh is right. I can feel a presence in my mind the same way I do for my fish. I think I have him.

"Stop broadcasting to Hydra."

"Of course, Mistress."

"Nope. Don't like that word. Not outside of certain... situations."

"Madam, then?" he asks, and I watch as the monitor, previously stuck in place, turns around and looks at me.

"I guess. Makes me sound a little old, though. Are you sticking with the camera and monitor thing? You could do a human shape again."

"In my current state, I experience the world so much faster than I did before. While technically I have been flesh and blood for a greater span of my life than I have been a machine, it does not feel so. If you desire I take on a human shape, I will, but I was honest in that I preferred my life as a super-computer."

"You do you I guess. But since I'm not planning on having this be a base of operations, we're going to have to get out of here at some point." I look out at the rows and rows of orange computers, "Can you compress it all and still... think?"

"I believe I can. In truth, this makes things a lot easier." he says, "As you can likely tell, these are not the most advanced systems available. There was an ongoing project to construct newer databanks, for me to copy myself down onto, but the method of inscribing my personality and memories onto tape was a specialized one. I process data more like a human than a machine, simply a human with an extremely high level of computational power. I do not think I have that limit any longer." the face on the grainy screen- once green on black, now orange on black -shifts, giving the impression of a smile. "Give me a moment, Madam. I wish to try something."

I turned to watch as all the computers in the room began to shift away from their current shape, similar to when I'm changing the shape of a construct I've already deployed. Computers folded in on each other, shrinking and shrinking, rearranging themselves in a giant globe in the center of the now mostly-empty room. The console with his face monitors didn't change much, simply rising up into the air and coming close to the rest of the globe.

Each computer tower- now basically the size of a domino -was connected by thin tendrils of orange light, all linked back to the central console. Then, the globe shrunk even further, and... melted into the console, sticking itself inside the central monitor screen. The rest of the console began to melt away as well, leaving nothing behind but the floating old-fashioned television displaying his face, and the camera above it.

"Will this suffice, Madam?"

"Sure. As long as you're comfortable with it. Definitely a bit more mobile." I say, before reaching out for my school. The construct-fish immediately swam my way, and I had all of them return to being a ring, except for the smallest lamprey. I unzip my fanny pack, and he swims in without complaint. I re-zip, and turn to Zola, "So... let's get started."

"What would you wish of me?"

"Well first off, how much did you actually know about modern Hydra?"

"I founded the modern HYDRA." he said, "And while I have long since given up control of the organization to others, currently Secretary Alexander Pierce, I have always been included in the overall operations. It is common practice to present me with new data, and to keep me informed of HYDRA's overarching plans for world domination."

I frown, "And um... how do you feel about that?"

"I want what you want, Madam." he said quickly, "But... If you are wishing me to be honest?" I nod, frowning, "I still believe that HYDRA's goals are for the overall betterment of the human species. Once HYDRA has complete and utter control of the world, they can construct an everlasting perfect society. Of course, all of that is secondary to your own desires. If you are sincerely wishing for the world to remain chaotic, I will help you to protect that chaos."

"That... no. I'm not going to enforce my will on society or anything."

"You enforced your will upon me. You usurped my identity, and the identity of those... fish."

"Well, that's because you're awful." I shrug, "You were planning mass murder. You helped kill a lot of people. This is the consequence. You don't get to just eat a missile and get off scott-free."

His face doesn't shift much, "Of course, Madam." his face vanishes from his screen, replaced by a map of the world covered with dots in places I'm guessing are major cities, "I have not yet been cut off from my previous HYDRA satellite access. Am I correct in assuming you wish for the downfall of HYDRA?"

I do want that. But... is now really the best time? Would that completely cripple Shield? Would crippling Shield be a bad thing? Should I wait until after Loki? Were they even helpful with Loki? With any of these disasters? I mean, I guess they helped get people out of harm's way with Ultron.

"How much of Shield has Hydra infiltrated?"

"It is overseen by HYDRA, several of its top squads are completely made up of HYDRA members, and there exist well-placed HYDRA members in all divisions and ranks."

"Would exposing every Hydra member destroy Shield?"

"I would like to think so. But we- they are not the majority, within SHIELD. The director of SHIELD, Nick Fury, is clean, but Pierce believes he can be turned with time, as the world grows more chaotic. It's possible that the organization would continue to function. Although I am not sure how much approval they would receive, if you wish for this reveal of all HYDRA agents to be completely public."

"That's... not good." I sigh, chewing my lips. I could just leave them, at least until Loki. Shield gathered the Avengers together, which is a thing that I want to happen. But... "How many people does Hydra kill a day?"

"That is an interesting question." he says, "The answer varies, depending on how much blame you wish to assign to HYDRA in various ongoing conflicts that were merely caused by it, and then left to devolve into chaos. If I were to make an estimation, it would be at least-"

"No. Don't tell me." I say sticking up my hands to stop him, "Please. Ugh. Yeah. Okay. Let's kill Hydra. As soon as possible."

 

[PurpLexed]

I think you missed a section of Orange text towards the end, but otherwise looks good. Really enjoying the story, and hoping to see how the MC interacts with the world.

Would Zola be capable of functioning as a replacement AI for her ring? So she can create detailed constructs again, without losing herself in the HALPING

 

[Grimmouse197]

Yeah I think she is going to regret that

 

[Breadnaught]

"I still believe that HYDRA's goals are for the overall betterment of the human species. Once HYDRA has complete and utter control of the world, they can construct an everlasting perfect society.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, riiiight. And every other fascist, fanatic and political/religious extremist that claimed they were going to build a better world. A perfect society.

How many of them actually did what they claimed? Did any of them even produce a net-improvement? Any of them?

 

[the RED and the BLUE]

Yeah, riiiight. And every other fascist, fanatic and political/religious extremist that claimed they were going to build a better world. A perfect society.

How many of them actually did what they claimed? Did any of them even produce a net-improvement? Any of them?

Click to shrink...

You realize that this whole argument is biased because she's tearing into the beliefs of a sock-puppet, right? The orange projections are just empty shells based on the people Agent Orange killed. Whether he was actually doing what he thought was right is irrelevant, since he can't be questioned about it now. She's basically talking to a finger, if that finger belonged to a kleptomaniac who had no desires but endless greed.

 

[Breadnaught]

You realize that this whole argument is biased because she's tearing into the beliefs of a sock-puppet, right?

Click to shrink...

No, the construct was giving the honest thoughts and views of the real* Zola.

*Well, the uploaded/copied version of Zola, anyway.

"I want what you want, Madam." he said quickly, "But... If you are wishing me to be honest?" I nod, frowning,

Click to shrink...

It wants what she wants. She wanted it to be honest there, so it was literally incapable of expressing anything but its honest thoughts and opinions.

 

[theBSDude]

Let's kill Hydra.

Click to shrink...

An indigo "kill"...

 

[MadGreenSon]

An indigo "kill"...

Click to shrink...

Sometimes the only compassionate thing to do is kill a lot of dudes. At least, it's compassion for the world at large.

Indigo is kinda creepy.

 

[ParaDXThrowaway]

Sometimes the only compassionate thing to do is kill a lot of dudes. At least, it's compassion for the world at large.

Indigo is kinda creepy.

Click to shrink...

Even apart from the mental violation, while my comics knowledge is mostly derived from reading online I remember reading that the first on page appearance of the Indigo Tribe involved one finding a badly wounded Green Lantern and deciding the "compassionate" thing to do was smother them to death despite their struggling. Green and maybe Blue are the only remotely safe Lights to wield.

 

[Edifier]

How many of them actually did what they claimed? Did any of them even produce a net-improvement? Any of them?

Click to shrink...

You're making me recall the hamilton musical.
Striving towards perfection, tho you won't reach that utopia, it leads to something superior.