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

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
14:01 GMT -5

Armour.

Ow.

I pick myself out of the burned roadside scrub as the car accelerates away from me. That was… Novel. Rather than fire a blast out of their hands, the Operatives gestured and the air around me sort of exploded. Teleporting… Energy, converting the air into plasma-.

Ow.

And no build-up. So… So the only reason that I'm still alive is that my environmental shield can't conduct electricity so it earthed itself into the ground. I still got hit by the kinetic power-.

"Okay, the first two just blasted me." Heavy armour, construct armour. "I'm moving to detain."

"Oh El, that's two powerful metahumans who aren't immediately threatening anyone. You should wait for backup. Canis?"

"If I delay then the Hatter may escape."

"No, keep on Hatter."

I accelerate after their car, grateful that the roads are so empty. He's not wrong about the guidelines of engagement, but notifying someone, bringing them up to speed, getting them here and then making sure that they don't die-. Area effect attacks work well against speedsters, and if they're just targetting a remote attack rather than making the attack themselves then there might not be any sort of recharging period. Batman didn't tell me exactly what they can do, so I can't be completely sure of my ability to contain them-.

"Robin, have you notified Batman?"

"I've sent an initial report. I can-."

"Orange Lantern to Yellow Lantern. Urgent."

That should go directly to his power ring, rather than going through whatever filtering he's got set up. Of course, he can just dismiss-

Call refused.

-it, but hopefully he won't do that.

"Huh. Uh, maybe we can get-."

"Hey there!" I look up and see Kara II floating above me as we gain on the speeding car. "I'm here to help!"

Um.

"Robin, did you call Supergirl Two?"

"No? Is she there?"

"Yes." Kara tilts her head slightly to the left. "Thank you for being here. It's really.. convenient."

"I know!" She nods excitedly. "I haven't been following you at all!"

"Uh."

She look forwards. "I'll go grab them right away!"

"Supergirl, w-."

She zooms forwards in a red and blue blur, and-

BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM!

-the explosions start at once, which implies that they can still use satellite monitoring because hitting a kryptonian like that by eyeballing it is extremely difficult.

Kara herself hits the road face-. Head first, digging a channel as her momentum carries her along and then flopping onto her back.

I stop just above her, scanning-. I can't see any injuries-.

"Are you alright?"

She blinks, floats upwards into the air with her eyes glowing red and then rotates to face the fleeing car. "That wasn't very nice!"

"Narrow beam, Kara! Narrow beam!"

Red rays lance out, rupturing the rubber of the rear tyres before a force field flares into being, soaking the heat.

"Okay, and stop, because-."

The force field undulates, then two red rays lance out and hit Kara right in the eyes!

"Ow!"

She staggers in the air, shaking her head and blinking heavily. The car…Appears to be carrying on unimpeded.

Maybe… I should-.

"Kara, are you alright?"

"I don't think my super vision is working!"

"I know, and I'm sorry about that. I just need you to catch me if they hit me. Can you manage that?"

"Sure! I can navigate by sound! And smell, actually! Don't ask me how I know that! I don't need super vision!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. Perhaps hang back just in case?" She nods happily with her eyes closed. Ring, sound projector. "Would either of you gentlemen care to explain what you're doing?"

Neither of them respond, and… Their rear wheels appear to be fully functional once more.

"Gentlemen…" Ring, just in case their shield is preventing them from hearing me, flash Morse code as well.

Compliance.

"Gentlemen, please stop your car and surrender yourselves. You are not technically under arrest-"

"But you should be!"

"-but I have reason to believe that your minds are being externally altered. If that is not the case, then we need merely have a simple conversation and you can be on your way. If you do not, then I will be forced to restrain you pending a mental health assessment."

Which someone who voluntarily blanked their mind wouldn't pass, but I'm doing this for show rather than because I'm obliged to.

Alright. Electromagnetic pulse.

The car judders for a moment, then resumes driving.

The car looks modern enough to require electronics. They're repairing damaged components. Alright. Teleport jammer. Electromagnetic shield. Fly faster and scoop-

Blam!

-and lift the car off the road so that its wheels are spinning in thin air, generate every type of interference around the box I can think of…

No more blams. Okay. That last 'blam' was weaker and more diffuse than the first, so I'm disrupting something. And they haven't tried repeating it. Their car's free floating wheels spin impotently inside my construct as I float closer.

"Gentlemen. Are you prepared to talk now?"

They turn to each other for a moment, and then leap through the windscreen towards me!

 

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
14:05 GMT -5

I grunt in disappointment as I jink aside, tossing the car and generating a vertigo inducer construct. Feels like a while since I've used one of those. Neither of the Operatives react to it, one-. He's using a plasma aura around his body to change direction in mid-air to clumsily fly after me, and the other-

Blam!

-just blasted himself away because they're doing a sacrificial play.

Whoever programmed their brains did good work, but the fact is that it's just not adequate to the situation.

I ignore the one running, create an ion cannon and fire at the decoy. His plasma field fails immediately, dropping him to the ground. He lands well, rolls and comes up to a crouch but my claw construct is already there and tearing his New God belt off his waist.

"No!"

Interesting that doing that didn't make him feel fear, but after a brief delay his body begins shrivelling up in the same way that Mr. Blank's did. Not quite as far, because this is someone who took a bit more exercise-.

"Stanley Adams."

"Whu-?"

"Your name, sir. Stanley Ad-."

"I don't.. use…"

"I know, and I will ensure-" I send the belt into subspace and land, depositing him on the tarmac. If nothing else I can get Canis to look at the bloody thing. "-that you get actual therapy, instead of a mind wipe. But-."

Kara appears in front of me, the other Operative hanging from her right hand, stripped of his belt. "I got him!"

"Good work. Um. Where's his belt?"

She smiles broadly. "I tossed it!"

"You tossed-? Kara, do you remember our 'what goes up must come down' talk?"

"Oh, I aimed!" She nods emphatically. "I guarantee that it won't hit anything that anyone worth caring about cares about."

18th July 2013
14:07 EST

I don't move, but I can't prevent myself from breathing in a little sharply as some.. sort of large projectile punches a hole in my office window and embeds itself in the wall behind my desk. Mercy lunges towards me with her force field activating as I try to analyse-.

Is that a cummerbund?

18th July 2013
14:07 GMT -5

"Anyone at all!"

"Okay." I'll find out where it went later. "Can you put that guy down-. Put on the ground, not drop."

She doesn't look even slightly guilty as she descends to ground level and releases her hold. I attach ultra-strength chains to both of them, which is probably excessive without their belts but I'd rather not take the risk.

"Okay, Stanley-."

"Why are you restraining me? I was doing useful work!"

"Yes, you were doing useful work, then you decided to abandon your worksite and drive across the country. I'm trying to find out why."

"Huh?" He blinks, his mouth hanging open for a moment. Then he looks around. "Where-? I wasn't… Here…"

"Stanley, a few of your friends have been worried about you. Do you remember why you agreed to become a Peace Operative?"

"I…"

He looks up at me, but he's not struggling against his bonds anymore and looks more confused than angry.

"The video…"

"Yes, I understand that it's standard practise for Peace Operatives to create a video before the mind wipe happens. What did yours say?"

"It-. Ah, that I.. tried to go back to my old life, but couldn't handle it without that-. The sense of purpose I got from being a Justifier. I don't remember it now, but I think that makes sense. I know I haven't had a problem since I got this done."

"What's the most recent thing you remember?"

"Tossing cars in a portal?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"I-. I'm not-." He blinks heavily, shaking his head. "That's the last thing I remember clearly…"

"But?"

"Ah… The Peace Agents are always completely clear about what we're doing and why. And I don't remember being told… But it was like I got an order without getting an order?"

"Did Mannheim ever give you orders personally?"

"I-" He shakes his head. "Wouldn't remember either way. Do you.. think he did it? Is he even still alive?"

Check location…

"He's alive because he got affected by something even stronger than what the Justifiers got, but I don't see how he could have done anything to you as he is now. You don't feel that compulsion now?"

"No, I just… Feel confused. My partner might be able to tell you more." I look at the other Operative, who appears to be a little woozy from Kara's treatment. "No, no, the A.I. they pair us with. It should have been monitoring me-. Or it might have been affected too." He suddenly looks a lot more concerned. "I don't know what I'd do without him."

"Alright. Robin, you get all that?"

"I can't believe someone infiltrated their command and control system already. I'll call the G.P.A."

"Good. Supergirl, please gently take these gentlemen to Robin. Can you do that?"

"Sure thing!"

"Thank you. Canis?"

"He is.. gone."

"Gone?"

"It is as if he used a boom tube without leaving any residue."

"A hush tube?"

"I know of no such device."

"They exist, and they're quieter. I just-."

My armour flashes up an alert as the cars carrying the other five Operatives vanish.

"They've got the others. We need to know where they are-."

Emergency alert from: Ted Kord.