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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
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rdfox
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I find it amusing that people feel that the TL191 stuff is a British power-wank, when they're ignoring a few minor issues...
Like how as of 1938, even with the massive shedding of capacity to try and survive the Great Depression, the US IOTL had about 55% of the entire world's industrial capacity. Even factoring in the split between the USA and CSA, the years of war, and the years of insurgency, there's a huge amount of industrial capacity sitting there waiting to be rebuilt and reactivated once the insurgencies in North America are dealt with. Sure, Britain has the resource advantage with asteroid mining--though even that's not really economical if you have access to the resources locally (we'd be asteroid mining today if it wasn't cheaper to extract iron ore here on Earth even now)--and they could be building factories on the Moon and Mars, but they still have a fairly limited amount of space (heh) to put their manufacturing in, and long, expensive logistics to move resources and products around the solar system. Once the US resolves its internal issues (maybe by setting up puppet governments in Canada and the CSA?), industrially, they'll be coming up on Britain fast and will likely overtake them, at least in the short-to-medium term.
As for keeping the technology secret... there's only so much that can be done. Not only will espionage agencies be looking to penetrate the various technological research establishments in Britain (witness how Stalin had a full set of blueprints to the Trinity device before it was even test-fired, thanks to Klaus Fuchs), but there's also the simple matter that there are many Very Smart People in every nation who will be able to quickly figure out how to duplicate all technologies that the British demonstrate. Note, for example, how Sergei Korolev, Robert Goddard, and the von Braun/Oberth team at Peenemunde all had gotten to about the same point in rocket development independently before the start of WW2 saw the German team get a flood of "wunderwaffen" funding that let them make rapid progress. Or, as another example: The big reason Germany, IOTL, didn't develop a fission bomb was that German physicists, including Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg, believed it wouldn't be feasible to do so (it could be done, but they thought it'd be too big and heavy to deliver except by ship). Upon receiving the news that the US had used fission bombs against Japan, Heisenberg, in his jail cell awaiting a decision on if he'd be tried for war crimes, managed to sketch out a conceptual (but accurate) design for a deliverable implosion-type (Fat Man) fission bomb in an evening, because now he knew it was possible.
Once scientists and engineers know something is possible, it's impressive how quickly they can figure out how to do it; the hard part is the niggly little details and the actual construction--i.e., the parts that can only be dealt with through large amounts of funding and iterative design and testing. And with a larger population than Britain, the US would have a larger number of Very Smart People to have these bright ideas; I'd give Britain, at most, a ten-year lead, in terms of publicly-acknowledged technologies (remember, the OTL US space program spent about a decade dicking around with short-range ballistic missile research because that's all the Army was interested in, probably delaying the manned program by about five or six years), and less in terms of industrial capacity, over the US and, to a lesser extent, Germany. And once the USA has caught up, that massive industrial powerhouse will mean that now it's a continuous race; Britain will remain a superpower, but this isn't an automatic "I win forever" situation for them, as the other major powers will soon catch up with them and probably overtake them in some ways...
Like how as of 1938, even with the massive shedding of capacity to try and survive the Great Depression, the US IOTL had about 55% of the entire world's industrial capacity. Even factoring in the split between the USA and CSA, the years of war, and the years of insurgency, there's a huge amount of industrial capacity sitting there waiting to be rebuilt and reactivated once the insurgencies in North America are dealt with. Sure, Britain has the resource advantage with asteroid mining--though even that's not really economical if you have access to the resources locally (we'd be asteroid mining today if it wasn't cheaper to extract iron ore here on Earth even now)--and they could be building factories on the Moon and Mars, but they still have a fairly limited amount of space (heh) to put their manufacturing in, and long, expensive logistics to move resources and products around the solar system. Once the US resolves its internal issues (maybe by setting up puppet governments in Canada and the CSA?), industrially, they'll be coming up on Britain fast and will likely overtake them, at least in the short-to-medium term.
As for keeping the technology secret... there's only so much that can be done. Not only will espionage agencies be looking to penetrate the various technological research establishments in Britain (witness how Stalin had a full set of blueprints to the Trinity device before it was even test-fired, thanks to Klaus Fuchs), but there's also the simple matter that there are many Very Smart People in every nation who will be able to quickly figure out how to duplicate all technologies that the British demonstrate. Note, for example, how Sergei Korolev, Robert Goddard, and the von Braun/Oberth team at Peenemunde all had gotten to about the same point in rocket development independently before the start of WW2 saw the German team get a flood of "wunderwaffen" funding that let them make rapid progress. Or, as another example: The big reason Germany, IOTL, didn't develop a fission bomb was that German physicists, including Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg, believed it wouldn't be feasible to do so (it could be done, but they thought it'd be too big and heavy to deliver except by ship). Upon receiving the news that the US had used fission bombs against Japan, Heisenberg, in his jail cell awaiting a decision on if he'd be tried for war crimes, managed to sketch out a conceptual (but accurate) design for a deliverable implosion-type (Fat Man) fission bomb in an evening, because now he knew it was possible.
Once scientists and engineers know something is possible, it's impressive how quickly they can figure out how to do it; the hard part is the niggly little details and the actual construction--i.e., the parts that can only be dealt with through large amounts of funding and iterative design and testing. And with a larger population than Britain, the US would have a larger number of Very Smart People to have these bright ideas; I'd give Britain, at most, a ten-year lead, in terms of publicly-acknowledged technologies (remember, the OTL US space program spent about a decade dicking around with short-range ballistic missile research because that's all the Army was interested in, probably delaying the manned program by about five or six years), and less in terms of industrial capacity, over the US and, to a lesser extent, Germany. And once the USA has caught up, that massive industrial powerhouse will mean that now it's a continuous race; Britain will remain a superpower, but this isn't an automatic "I win forever" situation for them, as the other major powers will soon catch up with them and probably overtake them in some ways...
Mr Zoat
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Oh, certainly, the United States could build the Skylark if they got their VSPs together -or even surviving Confederate VSPs- and gave them a lot of money. Thing is, the US doesn't have a lot of money. That industry that in the OTL was 55% of the world's? Bombed to heck, including multiple nuclear blasts, fought over and flattened. The population who would otherwise be paying taxes? Part of the army occupying an area larger than the US, a good portion of which is in constant low-scale revolt, costing money rather than making it. Even if they still regard Britain as a major enemy -and it's not exactly the USSR- there isn't going to be much support for funding something like that unless it shows clear economic benefits.
Bud-E
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If Quinn was trying to treat them why hasn't he told the League about it? They have fought Anti-Life corruption before and I'm sure with everything the league knows about it studying it with the resources the League has at their disposal would greatly help Quinn at the very least. Keeping this farm a secret is what's making my Spidey-sense tingle.
Handlewithcare
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Ho boy. An order obsessed, anti-life infected Constantine variant. That would be...Bad News. Evacuate the universe levels bad.
I guess Order would be more susceptible to Anti-Life than Chaos would be.
I guess Order would be more susceptible to Anti-Life than Chaos would be.
iamnuff
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Have they?
In Renagade timeline, Scott and Barda can sorta treat anti-life affliction.
Has this version of them done that?
As for New Genesis, Brownies might not be able to survive leaving earth's thaumosphere.
They are a kind of fairy or nature spirit, I think.
Assblaster5000
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IIRC Paul, Alan, and one of the Greenies managed to purge Anti-Life from some people pretty heavily in its thralls by just shoving Glow energy into them.
It's not a perfect solution, but it's a solution.
Darko
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Yes, they can.
After the battle with the Key, where Amon was rescued, the Key, who was using Anti-Life, was captured and sent to New Genesis, where Barda said Highfather would purge him of the Equation.
Nothing stopping someone from New Genesis coming over to Earth to help.
I think it was just Paul and Alan.
Tower Offence (part 9)
Mr Zoat
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8th November 2012
11:40 GMT -5
-The Demon flees into the field, trying to keep ahead of the brownies!
"Sandy-man!"
"Mist, can-"
I attach a flight aura to The Demon and lift him into the air, clawed hands grasping at his shoes as they're yanked out of range.
"-you do something-"
I generate a construct barrier, trying to hem them in close to the barracks.
"-about the infection?"
"I will try, but something-"
The barrier construct comes apart under the claws of the Justified brownies so I change tack, using a small swarm of cattle prod constructs to knock them back one at a time and retreating the prods if a brownie takes a swing at one.
"-is different."
Sanderson reforms under the blackened vines, clutching at his head- "Gah!" -as the vines above him crumble to ash.
Denied their primary target, the brownie mob turn and lunge at Dr. Mist. He makes a twisting motion with his left hand just before the first leaping brownie hits him. It vanishes, as do the second and third. What did he-? There, a little way away. They reappear, reorient themselves and resume the attack.
Alan scoops up Sanderson and flies up into the air. "Does this mean Quinn's been Anti-Lifed?"
"That would be my guess."
Okay, brownies can't fly, so as long as we avoid the vine attacks-
I jink left to avoid their grasping.
-we should be alright. "Do we need to see anything else, or are we just getting away?"
In the blue light of his ring I see Alan frown. "We need to free them!"
Dr. Mist sidesteps a mindless lunge, then turns and grabs hold of his would-be attacker. "This is not like the infection we encountered in Bialya."
The brownie he's holding shudders and then goes still.
"If it was, I would have detected it on John Quinn. This is… N-"
Vines leap towards him from all directions, prompting no greater reaction than a negligent wave of his right hand. Fire swells in all directions, burning vines and incinerating crystals-
"-ew."
-but doing nothing to stop the brownie who appeared above him! It lands on his left shoulder, right claws cutting into his face and leaving bleeding lines across his cheek and forehead even as he drops his captive and tries to grab his assailant. The vines surge again-.
I grab onto him with a construct, attacking brownie and all. I know he's supposed to be immortal, but I'm not sure that makes him immune to being Anti-Lifed and frankly I don't want to risk it. I don't know how the brownie got above him. Was it riding the vine and then jumped off when it caught fire?
Dr. Mist's passenger slumps and the doctor finally manages to get a good grasp on it, a faint white glow shimmering from his wounds-.
Which stay exactly where they are.
"Doctor, are you alright?"
"They are able to use the Anti-Life as a spiritual weapon. We need to scour the area for more information!"
I nod, rising higher into the air and extending filaments towards his wounds.
"May I?"
"It is not critical, but, yes. I would appreciate it."
Filaments try to bind the flesh? Nothing. Purple healing ray from subspace? Nothing.
"Um."
"Yet I can feel thet it is not interfering with my natural clotting."
"Did you hear some sort of 'something equals something else' when they attacked?"
"I did not."
"Alan?"
He shakes his head. "No, I didn't. Can you do something for Sandman?"
"I-I-I'm okay." He manages to pull himself upright in the bubble. "It was just a shock, that's all."
Dr. Mist looks at him for a moment, then grimaces. "It would appear not. I am sorry."
"Okay, how-?"
A brownie appears on my armour's upper surface, fingers passing through my construct armour and biting into the joins in my armour! I chuck The Demon and Dr. Mist at Alan as I form a construct pole to knock the brownie off! The armour plate is.. loose, a dozen points of attachment no longer quite as connected as they-.
Alan chucks our passengers back as three brownies teleport onto him! I catch them as he spins in the air with a construct bat swinging! He hits one in the stomach and dodges the second but the third manages to grab his right leg and-
SNAP!
"God-!"
A construct lasso yanks it off, sending it tumbling back to the ground. It vanishes before it gets there.
They can teleport.
I turn the area around me into a sphere of construct spikes, and after a momentary delay while he braces his leg Alan does the same.
"Doctor, can you..? Stop them doing that?"
Dr. Mist still has hold of his prisoner, a faint white glow visible around his hands and in his eyes.
"I still need to understand more."
I nod, looking down. We're a little way above the fields now, and I can see-.
"There. That area looks like they've already cut it down."
The Demon grimaces. "They're going to tell Quinn, aren't they?"
"They were still calling you 'Master' when they attacked. Maybe he doesn't have the control he thinks he does. If they think you're him then there's no reason to tell 'you'."
He raises his eyebrows. "But they might tell whoever's really in charge. Efficient, if a bit likely to get us killed."
"Yes, seeing the completed form of the vines may be useful. But we should be swift. I do not think that they will call in Quinn, but thet will not stop them calling in someone else."
11:40 GMT -5
-The Demon flees into the field, trying to keep ahead of the brownies!
"Sandy-man!"
"Mist, can-"
I attach a flight aura to The Demon and lift him into the air, clawed hands grasping at his shoes as they're yanked out of range.
"-you do something-"
I generate a construct barrier, trying to hem them in close to the barracks.
"-about the infection?"
"I will try, but something-"
The barrier construct comes apart under the claws of the Justified brownies so I change tack, using a small swarm of cattle prod constructs to knock them back one at a time and retreating the prods if a brownie takes a swing at one.
"-is different."
Sanderson reforms under the blackened vines, clutching at his head- "Gah!" -as the vines above him crumble to ash.
Denied their primary target, the brownie mob turn and lunge at Dr. Mist. He makes a twisting motion with his left hand just before the first leaping brownie hits him. It vanishes, as do the second and third. What did he-? There, a little way away. They reappear, reorient themselves and resume the attack.
Alan scoops up Sanderson and flies up into the air. "Does this mean Quinn's been Anti-Lifed?"
"That would be my guess."
Okay, brownies can't fly, so as long as we avoid the vine attacks-
I jink left to avoid their grasping.
-we should be alright. "Do we need to see anything else, or are we just getting away?"
In the blue light of his ring I see Alan frown. "We need to free them!"
Dr. Mist sidesteps a mindless lunge, then turns and grabs hold of his would-be attacker. "This is not like the infection we encountered in Bialya."
The brownie he's holding shudders and then goes still.
"If it was, I would have detected it on John Quinn. This is… N-"
Vines leap towards him from all directions, prompting no greater reaction than a negligent wave of his right hand. Fire swells in all directions, burning vines and incinerating crystals-
"-ew."
-but doing nothing to stop the brownie who appeared above him! It lands on his left shoulder, right claws cutting into his face and leaving bleeding lines across his cheek and forehead even as he drops his captive and tries to grab his assailant. The vines surge again-.
I grab onto him with a construct, attacking brownie and all. I know he's supposed to be immortal, but I'm not sure that makes him immune to being Anti-Lifed and frankly I don't want to risk it. I don't know how the brownie got above him. Was it riding the vine and then jumped off when it caught fire?
Dr. Mist's passenger slumps and the doctor finally manages to get a good grasp on it, a faint white glow shimmering from his wounds-.
Which stay exactly where they are.
"Doctor, are you alright?"
"They are able to use the Anti-Life as a spiritual weapon. We need to scour the area for more information!"
I nod, rising higher into the air and extending filaments towards his wounds.
"May I?"
"It is not critical, but, yes. I would appreciate it."
Filaments try to bind the flesh? Nothing. Purple healing ray from subspace? Nothing.
"Um."
"Yet I can feel thet it is not interfering with my natural clotting."
"Did you hear some sort of 'something equals something else' when they attacked?"
"I did not."
"Alan?"
He shakes his head. "No, I didn't. Can you do something for Sandman?"
"I-I-I'm okay." He manages to pull himself upright in the bubble. "It was just a shock, that's all."
Dr. Mist looks at him for a moment, then grimaces. "It would appear not. I am sorry."
"Okay, how-?"
A brownie appears on my armour's upper surface, fingers passing through my construct armour and biting into the joins in my armour! I chuck The Demon and Dr. Mist at Alan as I form a construct pole to knock the brownie off! The armour plate is.. loose, a dozen points of attachment no longer quite as connected as they-.
Alan chucks our passengers back as three brownies teleport onto him! I catch them as he spins in the air with a construct bat swinging! He hits one in the stomach and dodges the second but the third manages to grab his right leg and-
SNAP!
"God-!"
A construct lasso yanks it off, sending it tumbling back to the ground. It vanishes before it gets there.
They can teleport.
I turn the area around me into a sphere of construct spikes, and after a momentary delay while he braces his leg Alan does the same.
"Doctor, can you..? Stop them doing that?"
Dr. Mist still has hold of his prisoner, a faint white glow visible around his hands and in his eyes.
"I still need to understand more."
I nod, looking down. We're a little way above the fields now, and I can see-.
"There. That area looks like they've already cut it down."
The Demon grimaces. "They're going to tell Quinn, aren't they?"
"They were still calling you 'Master' when they attacked. Maybe he doesn't have the control he thinks he does. If they think you're him then there's no reason to tell 'you'."
He raises his eyebrows. "But they might tell whoever's really in charge. Efficient, if a bit likely to get us killed."
"Yes, seeing the completed form of the vines may be useful. But we should be swift. I do not think that they will call in Quinn, but thet will not stop them calling in someone else."
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Handlewithcare
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Yeesh. The Anti-Life is really nothing to fuck around with. Brownies aren't exactly the most fearsome fighters and with AL even they can threat Mist and Lanterns.
Also, Sanderson got infected? No, not the Cinnamon Bun!
Maybe time for ParagonPaul to visit Ponies?
Also also...what would happen if the Anti-Life gets projected into a Dream-Storm?
Also, Sanderson got infected? No, not the Cinnamon Bun!
Maybe time for ParagonPaul to visit Ponies?
Also also...what would happen if the Anti-Life gets projected into a Dream-Storm?
thebishop8
Umm, ackchyually...
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"pods" should be "prods".
Darko
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"hits"
"need to"
"him from"
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
Chojin Patriarch
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Well, sounds like Sandy got himself loose. But this is going to be a total fustercluck, isn't it? Vines, Brownies and whatever the fuck they can do with the Anti-Life they're touched by will not make this easy to finish quickly or cleanly.
Last thing you need is them getting a Constantine on their side.
What's the bet they have some form of anti-construct capabilities? For that extra level of 'fuck you' to Lanterns...
And of course they do. Which will also likely make them resistant to whatever Doctor Mist could do to them.
At least the black crystals are a one-shot attack, it seems. But did it get Sandy or not?
Heh, kind of the reverse of a displacer field. Unfortunately, it doesn't take them out of the fight...
Thank goodness for automatic evasion scripts.
Not the best time, Alan. Little hard to help them when they're trying to attack you, and they're construct-resistant...
Huh. Heck of a reaction to being grabbed. Or did Doctor Mist try a purification spell on it?
And this is where you remember, he's got more magical experience than most other mages on Earth combined.
Hopefully missed the eye, those are always messy. Still going to bleed like a stuck pig...
An another one goes limp. Seriously, are they like Ragdoll cats, with a funky reaction to being held?
Oh, that's bad. Wounds that won't heal, even when White Light-based magic is applied?
So, the wounds are soul-deep? That's even worse.
Probably hurts like a mother-fucker, even if he can ignore it easily enough.
Performance issues? Don't worry, OL, it happens to all Lanterns sooner or later.
So not classic Anti-Life. Could it be full-on Black Light? Or could Doctor Impossible be involved, and getting creative?
...Crap, what if he's infected with it? Is he a ticking time-bomb now, just waiting for the right time to turn on them?
Hopefully it can be burnt out with a little Spectrum exposure. Hope and Desire are surprisingly compatible, at a base level...
Some manner of entropic attack? Definitely aligns more with Black Light than Anti-Life...
Ooh, he's gonna feel that in the morning.Well, shit. How far, though? 30 feet? 60? Line-of-sight? If that's the case, they're fucked as far as escaping goes.
Only real option is to keep filling the space around them with stuff, in hopes that they're not willing to risk a tele-frag.
Just don't peer too deep, or you'll find someone else looking back at you...
Nice, wide lines of sight, no cover on the approach... Yes, a nice killing ground, especially if they can't teleport in.
Or they're willing to kill even him in the name of whatever altered them.
So do your poking around, so you can get your asses gone, preferably away from the immediate area.
Oh, this just gets better and better. Teleporting brownies with entropic soul-damaging attacks? Which kind of sick DM thought up this little encounter? Let's hope that Doctor Mist can work out what's going on with them and manage to dispel whatever it is, at least from himself, Alan and Sandy. and especially that he can do it quickly, before one of the brownies actually does think to go for help...
Darko
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I think that's how some of the Anti-Life victims were called in the comics.
Darko
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During the fight with the Key, the Key was able to interfere with Paul's constructs.
If that's the case then maybe Dark Druid was somehow able to gain influence to corrupt them.
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Mr Zoat
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BR549
This is filth! FILTH!!
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Should be 'blue light' I think.
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
Coda
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Given that this didn't start until Mist "helped" one of the brownies... It may entirely be possible that Quinn's behavior here was to limit the spread of the Anti-Life infection. I'm not sure I believe that to be true, but it's still a possibility.
detected it
the joints
Mr Zoat
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Tower Offence (part 10)
Mr Zoat
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8th November 2012
11:43 GMT -5
This area still has trellises, but the vines attached to them are cut short and the bark looks burned. Carbonised. Dr. Mist is looking at them closely while The Demon makes what looks like a half-hearted effort to copy him. I'm keeping watch while Alan tries glowing at Sanderson.
"I'm okay, Blue Lantern. It just, ah-. That was a lot."
"What did it say?"
He jerks his head around to look at me. "Say?"
"The Anti-Life fragments we've encountered so far have been in the format 'thing equals other thing'. It would give us some idea of what sort of thoughts it's imposing on you, and how we could counter it."
"I didn't-. I didn't hear words, I just kind of got an impression."
"Okay, what sort of impression?"
Sanderson look uncomfortable, turning to Alan for reassurance.
"Sandman, we've all seen a lot of unpleasant things. Things that would make it hard for a normal man to sleep at night. Some of us, like… Well, like Orange Lantern, deal with it by not worrying all that much about being 'normal'-"
I nod. "It's true."
"-and some of us prefer talking things through with our friends. Helps get a handle on things, turns them into things you can cope with."
I nod. "Back before-" I point at my eyes with my right forefinger. "-I got disarmed and chained to a rock by killer robots who were going to kill me and my friends. Talking things over with Guy and Wonder Woman really helped me get my head straight."
"Head..? Ah, yeah."
Alan nods. "And talking with the Flash helped me after.. what happened with Rose."
"Right, your girlfriend. I.. didn't want to ask, but I guess she'd be… Dead, by now."
"Ah. Yes. She died a few years ago."
"And as always, giving information to the authorities makes it easier for them to apprehend the perpetrators."
"Okay." He nods. "Okay. It… I didn't hear it say 'equals' or anything, but just for a moment there, it was like my life was a big mess-." He bows his head, shaking it. "No, that's not it. It was like it was showing me examples from my life and saying 'look, you're making a mess of things'. And it was all… True? I mean, it wasn't trying to deceive me, just to show me why it saw what I was doing the way it did."
He lifts his head up slightly.
"That's what's shaking me up so much. I've had people throw insults at me plenty of times. I still remember Aunt Dian's face when I asked why those hoods thought my name was 'Cat Might' when I wasn't Wildcat's sidekick."
The Demon doubles over. "Fucking hell, mate."
"Sandman, you can string together a clip show of someone's worst moments and make someone believe just about anything about them. That doesn't mean that it's the definitive view."
Alan nods. "And sometimes hearing something about yourself you don't wanna hear is the kick in the pants you need to get up and fix it. You think your life's kind of in a muddle right now? Well, it probably is. You were locked up in a basement and then kept prisoner by dream demons for sixty years. You're in the middle of fixing it right now; in five years you'll be back on track."
Sanderson takes a moment to absorb that.
"Yeah. Yeah, you know what? You're right. Thanks, guys."
Alan pats him on the right shoulder with his right hand. "You're always welcome."
"Of course, that did sound like the most orderly interpretation of the Anti-Life, which… Makes a worrying amount of sense."
Sanderson frowns. "What exactly is the Anti-Life?"
"We don't.. really know. In fact, as I understand it, us not knowing is a big part of what keeps the universe safe. Because to know that a particular phrase is part of the Anti-Life, you have to understand it. And to understand it you have to believe it, to have it shape your thoughts. And it's all… Things that a person might believe in their lowest moments, and it-. You end up thinking that that's just how things are, that it's normal. And then you try and spread it."
"Oh." He looks around at the fields. "Ooh."
"But it is beatable. You're feeling better now, aren't you?"
He nods. "I am. But I thought this was just a bunch of magical plants."
"They are." Dr. Mist straightens up. "But as Orange Lantern said, thet is a most orderly form of Anti-Life. It can be made to flow through these crystals and infest the entire world. While I cannot deduce why it is thet John Quinn is trying to achieve this horrible thing, I can at least understand his methodology. Demon, do you have anything to say?"
"That I've got more fucking sense than to mess about with Anti-Life." Dr. Mist stares at him. "What? I'm self-absorbed, not suicidal. There's not enough me in me to want to hollow myself out more."
"Concerning John Quinn."
"He.. wasn't doing anything with the Anti-Life last time I spoke to him. It doesn't even make sense to me. He wasn't-. Controlling people isn't.. really part of our nature. Manipulating on a case-by-case basis, sure. Maybe give people a bit of a nudge. But controlling them like this?"
"Do I need to list your criminal acts?"
He rolls his eyes.
"I'm not trying to say I'm innocent in any general sense. Just that I haven't tried to mind control people on an ongoing basis. I'm already the most miserable parts of John the First, I don't want to find out if I can be double miserable. And I can't be bothered telling people what to do. Too much like honest work."
"See, if you start with that, it sounds more honest. Any idea where the finished crystals ended up?"
"There is a focal point, not far from here. I do not know if it is where the crystals are, but we need to go there first. This place is a threat I cannot abide by."
He turns to face me, and his face is still bleeding.
"This is why I joined the Justice League."
Alan nods. "Then that's where we're going. Any idea why the 'brownees' gave up?"
"They know that we can fight them off, so they're holding themselves in reserve until the next time we get into a fight."
"Or perhaps their orders do not include pursuit."
Seems a little hopeful, but I suppose it's possible.
"No way to free the brownie, then?"
"Not yet." He notions, and chains of rock rise out of the ground and bind his prisoner. "Not without more knowledge on how they were infected."
Alan nods. "But you will be able to, won't you?"
Dr. Balewa nods back. "I believe so. With the source removed… Yes, I believe so."
"Are we creeping up or rushing the target?"
"I believe thet the element of surprise is lost. Let us attack with-."
My colleagues vanish, leaving me alone with the brownie in the field.
11:43 GMT -5
This area still has trellises, but the vines attached to them are cut short and the bark looks burned. Carbonised. Dr. Mist is looking at them closely while The Demon makes what looks like a half-hearted effort to copy him. I'm keeping watch while Alan tries glowing at Sanderson.
"I'm okay, Blue Lantern. It just, ah-. That was a lot."
"What did it say?"
He jerks his head around to look at me. "Say?"
"The Anti-Life fragments we've encountered so far have been in the format 'thing equals other thing'. It would give us some idea of what sort of thoughts it's imposing on you, and how we could counter it."
"I didn't-. I didn't hear words, I just kind of got an impression."
"Okay, what sort of impression?"
Sanderson look uncomfortable, turning to Alan for reassurance.
"Sandman, we've all seen a lot of unpleasant things. Things that would make it hard for a normal man to sleep at night. Some of us, like… Well, like Orange Lantern, deal with it by not worrying all that much about being 'normal'-"
I nod. "It's true."
"-and some of us prefer talking things through with our friends. Helps get a handle on things, turns them into things you can cope with."
I nod. "Back before-" I point at my eyes with my right forefinger. "-I got disarmed and chained to a rock by killer robots who were going to kill me and my friends. Talking things over with Guy and Wonder Woman really helped me get my head straight."
"Head..? Ah, yeah."
Alan nods. "And talking with the Flash helped me after.. what happened with Rose."
"Right, your girlfriend. I.. didn't want to ask, but I guess she'd be… Dead, by now."
"Ah. Yes. She died a few years ago."
"And as always, giving information to the authorities makes it easier for them to apprehend the perpetrators."
"Okay." He nods. "Okay. It… I didn't hear it say 'equals' or anything, but just for a moment there, it was like my life was a big mess-." He bows his head, shaking it. "No, that's not it. It was like it was showing me examples from my life and saying 'look, you're making a mess of things'. And it was all… True? I mean, it wasn't trying to deceive me, just to show me why it saw what I was doing the way it did."
He lifts his head up slightly.
"That's what's shaking me up so much. I've had people throw insults at me plenty of times. I still remember Aunt Dian's face when I asked why those hoods thought my name was 'Cat Might' when I wasn't Wildcat's sidekick."
The Demon doubles over. "Fucking hell, mate."
"Sandman, you can string together a clip show of someone's worst moments and make someone believe just about anything about them. That doesn't mean that it's the definitive view."
Alan nods. "And sometimes hearing something about yourself you don't wanna hear is the kick in the pants you need to get up and fix it. You think your life's kind of in a muddle right now? Well, it probably is. You were locked up in a basement and then kept prisoner by dream demons for sixty years. You're in the middle of fixing it right now; in five years you'll be back on track."
Sanderson takes a moment to absorb that.
"Yeah. Yeah, you know what? You're right. Thanks, guys."
Alan pats him on the right shoulder with his right hand. "You're always welcome."
"Of course, that did sound like the most orderly interpretation of the Anti-Life, which… Makes a worrying amount of sense."
Sanderson frowns. "What exactly is the Anti-Life?"
"We don't.. really know. In fact, as I understand it, us not knowing is a big part of what keeps the universe safe. Because to know that a particular phrase is part of the Anti-Life, you have to understand it. And to understand it you have to believe it, to have it shape your thoughts. And it's all… Things that a person might believe in their lowest moments, and it-. You end up thinking that that's just how things are, that it's normal. And then you try and spread it."
"Oh." He looks around at the fields. "Ooh."
"But it is beatable. You're feeling better now, aren't you?"
He nods. "I am. But I thought this was just a bunch of magical plants."
"They are." Dr. Mist straightens up. "But as Orange Lantern said, thet is a most orderly form of Anti-Life. It can be made to flow through these crystals and infest the entire world. While I cannot deduce why it is thet John Quinn is trying to achieve this horrible thing, I can at least understand his methodology. Demon, do you have anything to say?"
"That I've got more fucking sense than to mess about with Anti-Life." Dr. Mist stares at him. "What? I'm self-absorbed, not suicidal. There's not enough me in me to want to hollow myself out more."
"Concerning John Quinn."
"He.. wasn't doing anything with the Anti-Life last time I spoke to him. It doesn't even make sense to me. He wasn't-. Controlling people isn't.. really part of our nature. Manipulating on a case-by-case basis, sure. Maybe give people a bit of a nudge. But controlling them like this?"
"Do I need to list your criminal acts?"
He rolls his eyes.
"I'm not trying to say I'm innocent in any general sense. Just that I haven't tried to mind control people on an ongoing basis. I'm already the most miserable parts of John the First, I don't want to find out if I can be double miserable. And I can't be bothered telling people what to do. Too much like honest work."
"See, if you start with that, it sounds more honest. Any idea where the finished crystals ended up?"
"There is a focal point, not far from here. I do not know if it is where the crystals are, but we need to go there first. This place is a threat I cannot abide by."
He turns to face me, and his face is still bleeding.
"This is why I joined the Justice League."
Alan nods. "Then that's where we're going. Any idea why the 'brownees' gave up?"
"They know that we can fight them off, so they're holding themselves in reserve until the next time we get into a fight."
"Or perhaps their orders do not include pursuit."
Seems a little hopeful, but I suppose it's possible.
"No way to free the brownie, then?"
"Not yet." He notions, and chains of rock rise out of the ground and bind his prisoner. "Not without more knowledge on how they were infected."
Alan nods. "But you will be able to, won't you?"
Dr. Balewa nods back. "I believe so. With the source removed… Yes, I believe so."
"Are we creeping up or rushing the target?"
"I believe thet the element of surprise is lost. Let us attack with-."
My colleagues vanish, leaving me alone with the brownie in the field.
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Vanbers
Well worn.
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"Dr. Balewa I've heard of the 'unspoken plan guarantee' but this is ridiculous."
Darko
Connoisseur.
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"makes"
"it's imposing"
"sense than"
You're a Constantine, so you really don't.
"do not"
Shit.
dw7thdoctor
Getting sticky.
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We're in OL perspective now right? so everyone except OL disappeared I'm assuming he has his special tattoos to thank for that.