But why go to that much effort when they have a simple Earth close at hand? Especially for a test subject. Hell, if they were feeling particularly sassy, it could well be a clone, with the setup an attempt to forge a soul out of pure Fear.
Because of course she knows. It's not like the League of Shadows wouldn't have found out the League's secret identities even before the whole New Year's mind control thing.
It's probably not something they needed to constantly monitor, I guess? I mean, if the bio-monitor suit he's wearing includes an intravenous nutrient feed... He'd probably feel terrible not having eaten or drunk anything for however long, but he wouldn't die from it.
Or a long-range teleporter. To put it simply, there's too much planet to search, I suppose.
And Ring Learning isn't nearly as effective as learning it the old-fashioned way, of course.
Why let their customers make their own? That'd undercut their business, after all...
Besides for the original commission, you mean?
...That's what under-graduates are for.
Just good business, you know.Not that your rings are much good. If that Lantern you made way back when was any indicator, at least...
It's not the years that gets you, after all. It's the mileage. And Sinestro's got a lot of miles on his clock...
Certainly easier than conjecturing all the live-long-day...
Lysis, most likely, then. She did the job for the Renegade in that timeline, after all. Makes sense that she'd have been working from known principles here.
"I don't talk to test subjects. It contaminates the data."
I doubt she'd leave a business card.
Since, you know, so many aliens resemble humans to some degree...
...Though I suspect he wouldn't be able to quote which Earth. Then again, it's a matter of scanning vibrational frequencies, right?
It probably has been a while since Joey here has felt happy, I suppose...
'Cui Bono?' He's probably confused why you aren't asking for payment up-front for helping him, or something like that.
As hard as it is to believe, yes...
Still, the protection probably outweighs the social penalties of looking like Robby the Robot's orange-flavoured cousin...
Oooh, good idea. You have no idea how long ago he was shoved in here, right? Not like there's a clock in there for him.
...Not being racist, but most Quardians do look alike from a distance...
Because he's not sure what the wrong answer will result in, of course.
Okay. Most likely Lysis, then.
To be fair, this universe likely hasn't got a Lantern Corps of any colour (Sinestro's work notwithstanding...)
...So he's probably never heard of a Power Ring.
Even if it was only in a gloating monologue? Do feel free to leave out any maniacal laughter.
About what they expected, then.
...Oh, dear. Best be quick, then. I get the feeling this was something of a safety valve...
I have to wonder if there's a good reason why, or if it was a psychological thing to make him want to stay in there and unwilling to stop the 'treatment'... And there's still the question of whether 'she' is aware of their interference in her little experiment. Assuming she's even still alive, given the recent difficulties Qward has undergone...
Yea... There's a lot of stuff off in this chapter...
I was going to mention the jokaero, but... has anyone (in universe) hypothesized that P'ol's ring might be jokaero tech? Hyper-advanced, miniaturized, ring based technology... and he's even orange.
Didn't he think about making a new ring and realise it would take months at "maximum sustained avarice levels" according to the ring he woke up with? Or was that power batteries/lanterns?
Oh yeah, that's right, Paul's ring was made by ROB, and therefore doesn't have standard Maltusian DRM.
Paul's first ring was made by Hinon, the comatose Controller he revived in both paragon and renegade timeliness.
Presumably his peak output is now higher and he can sustain it much more easily.
Am I confusing the timelines? I thought OL and Renegade both spawned into DC with a ring they were cursed to call "this ring".
And then Hinon did a 'Proprietary Unlocked' in each timeline, giving them the ability to say 'my ring'.
Thank you, corrected.
I'm not sure that the tau have encountered them. If they have, it wouldn't take long to work out that the power ring doesn't look like jokaero technology under an electron microscope.
Because of course she knows. It's not like the League of Shadows wouldn't have found out the League's secret identities even before the whole New Year's mind control thing.
If only Paul could recruit this guy as the first Yellow Lantern on his side.
Either way they aren't really a threat to Paul at the moment.
I like this better than it being Parallax. This could be the weak ancestor god Paul mentioned. That would give it a good lead-up. Or you know how Paul's soul is orange because during its development huge orange light infusion. What if the experiment that Halord here went through made him grow a second nascent soul?
I doubt Joey there has any part to play in it besides bait, though. But who laid the trap? Weaponer Lysis, or whoever else it was? Sinestro, playing a long game? Or some other Spectrum-adjacent foe we haven't though of?
Feh. There should be classes for that sort of thing: Obfuscated Body Language 101, or something. 'How to make people recognise your non-verbal communications, even in face-obscuring masks or all-concealing armour.'
That is a subtle reminder that OL has kind of gone native, you know. He didn't used to be this gullible... Although, their first meeting did involve her tricking him into kissing her while she wore mind-altering lipstick.
I mean, someone looking at you through Empathic Vision would see almost all orange...
It just takes a matter of framing the fear in a 'I'm afraid of not having this thing' way.
So... Dead or inconvenienced. Didn't Lysius end up running things after Varnathon got iced by Kalmin?
So long ago...Even if they didn't know they were dealing with the Qwardians, I suspect.
And OL's heavy armour is just a little bit imposing.
...Which may not be a good thing. Still, if it is the usual 'heroes are villainous and vice-versa'... How many heroes of Earth have FTL capabilities, discounting Lanterns?
Vindictiveness can be a powerful emotional vector, even marinated in fear as Joey is.
The joy of incomplete information. So many mind-games about 'whodunnit'...
I mean, it's not he's committed any crimes they would feel a need to prosecute.
Probably 'What a couple of gullible, bleeding-hearted maroons.'
Probably a typical Crime Syndicate Earth. Hopefully without an omnicidal Owlman.
As long as you don't accidentally something vital.
Certainly, being able to see a human face might help him accept any offer.
Heck, OL's been doing things with his corner of the Spectrum Sinestro is probably very interested in replicating for Fear.
Still a bit worried about that, OL?
I suspect Sinestro dismissed them as non-threats for the most part, outside of the particularly powerful.
True. Just look at how OL's been spreading Earth-originated tech. And how popular it's been.
Welp, fingers crossed for luck...
...Huh. I wonder... What if he wasn't looking at your face, OL...
Let's not mention the fact that you've been working with said Weaponer, of course.
Bah. I have no doubt the first few shots Kalmin fired were placed for maximising terror. Enough casualties to draw attention, but not enough to reduce the net effect.
Precision. Scientific experimentation. Casual disregard for life. Take your pick?
...I wonder how that book would have gone on a inverted-morality Earth? So few writers give any thought to things like popular culture with a cultural variance like that.
Just as their wants were, I suppose.
It's, like, they're all part of some cosmic spectrum, man...
...Fuck all kinds of duck... But unlike other times, this one ended with the main character of the tale getting even more powerful than canon.
Opps your right my mistake. Also, the eye thing makes sense. I'll be a little disappointed if it is obvious and turns out to be Parallax. I know this s wrong because it wouldn't make sense, but I never imagined the anti-matter verses having their own Elementals.
Making my bet now.
'my light'
