With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Chojin Patriarch · May 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
13th February 2013
17:06 GMT -5
Earth 50

I get a half-second view of her dainty fingers, then I'm flying backwards across the Metropolis skyline with my nose pancaked across my face.

Ow!

Ah, visiting Kara In-Ze, Supergirl of Earth-50 (Specifically, the Justice Lords alternate universe.) I see the Renegade is still concerned about Kara Zor-El's behaviour. And well he should be. But this is quite the greeting.

Through… My environmental shield and…

Really ow.

Yeah, animated Kryptonians are extra-broken.

Fix my nose back into shape.

By your command.

Not wanting to waste time for it to regenerate normally, eh, Renegade?

Or is it just that smashed flat that you need to reset it first?

OW! Which hurts more-. And-.

I'm jerked to a stop as Kara blurs after me, her hands grabbing my gorget. "What are you doing here?"

...That's the neck section of the armour, for those not familiar. And I assume it's a fair chunk of plating, given the size of his neck.

"Fixing my nose, you-. Deeply rude woman. What the heck was that for?"

"What did you think I was going to do? You're still a wanted fugitive, Grayven."

Aw. I guess it has been a while since you last visited, Renegade.

"What? But I barely committed any crimes at all." She looks incredulous. "One little vault break in and maybe a few thousand dollars with of damage."

"And the people you killed."

...Who? Oh, right, the SHADE folks in the Anti-Life-contaminated bunker he got Lynne from. ...Was it SHADE? Been so dang long...

"They were Anti-Lifed to the point of being unsalvageable." I shake my head as my nose finishes regenerating. "I honestly didn't realise that people here were still throwing such a fit about things."

"John and Shayera aren't here. They-."

Yes, they were the smart ones, leaving as soon as they could...

"They're on Thanagar. I know. I'm still in contact. I'm a friendly guy with people who don't respond to 'hello' by punching me in the f-. Flipping face."

I jerk my arms up, knocking her arms away. And yes, I know that if she was gripping hard that wouldn't have worked, but I'm happy to see that she hasn't quite learned real savagery yet.

Heh. Those dad-habits keeping him from getting too blue with the language, I see.

She folds her arms across her chest. "What do you want?"

"I found our version of you a while ago. Ah. Sort of. She's Kara Zor-El, not Kara In-Ze, but… Same idea. Blonde kryptonian female, survived Krypton going up…"

Probably not quite as developed, being in her mid-teens and all, compared to Kara-50's adult figure.

"I'm not the only blonde kryptonian."

…

Heck, with their designer genes, why limit yourself to shades of black, reddish-brown and yellow?

I feel guilty for thinking it, but I can't help it any more than I can prevent myself snort-chuckling.

"Wha-?" She blinks as she gets it. "Ugh. That's not funny, Grayven."

Hey, you said it and the implied joke, not him, hon'.

"If it makes you feel better, Kal-El's the only black-haired kryptonian." I exhale. "I don't find the death of your species funny or anything, but it was the juxtaposition between you just saying it like that-."

"I can go back to hitting you, you know."

And technically, barring other members of their species surviving, they technically are the only black- and blonde-haired Kryptonians... In this universe, at least.

"If it makes you feel better-. No, let me… So, we located her and brought her back to the facility I'm using to clone the kryptonian species back into viability-."

"Y-? How do you mean..?"

Oh, that caught her off-guard nicely.

"I got a load of kryptonian genetic records from… Various places, mixed them up a bit and then used some ex-Citadel cloning machines to create more kryptonians. Hired some people to raise the resulting children… And since that was-. Actually, do you have any kryptonian genetic records here? We're doing okay for genetic variation, but there's no such thing as too much variety."

"Ah… Brainiac's database might have some medical records… He could access all of the data on krypton, but I don't know if he bothered loading it onto the database Kal captured. There's… Probably some intact bodies on Kandor. We didn't really get much kryptonite radiation, unlike krypton."

And it might not be a great idea to mix and match from two different universes without some very detailed tests. Don't want to make Bizarroes or something worse...

I nod. "Nifty. I'll have a look around at some point, we can include them in the next batch."

"You're not… Keeping them as slaves, are you?"

Not as such, no. 'Slave' implies they wouldn't be serving him entirely willingly.

"What? No. Karsta Wor-Ul would-" Try to. "-kill me. And they're children; there's basically nothing they could do that it wouldn't make more sense to have an adult or a robot do."

"But when they grow up…"

Yes, an entire army of super-men and -women. It's a pleasant thought, isn't it? Probably gives the Grayven part of the Renegade a warm tingle down low.

"They're part of my domains. If they want to work for me, I'll hire them. But their capacities make forcing them completely impractical."

She stares at me searchingly, and I shrug.

As noted, they'll want to pay him back for what he's done for them thus far. It's positively insidious... If he intended it with any malice in the first place.

"Okay. So-? Wait, are you asking me to… Contribute?"

"Ah. No? I mean, you can-. And I can manufacture kryptonian sperm if that's something that you want, but-. We're getting away from my point."

Probably safer than trying it the old-fashioned way with a human man. A reversal of the 'Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex' meme, if you will.

"Which is?"

"Our Kara was severely injured due to having been in a malfunctioning pod ship which was trapped in a kryptonite asteroid. We fixed her up with a daxamite medical sarcophagus, and she seemed… Fine-ish..? But she's a lot more… Socially vicious. And… Loudly devoted to Kryptonian nationalism in a way that I wasn't… Expecting."

A sarcophagus with an Eradicator protocol installed. Which I now realise he may not even have thought to check for.

"Okay? She's not me. I don't really… I mean, aside from Jax-Ur, that wasn't really part of kryptonian politics. We didn't have any contact with aliens and no one really wanted to leave."

"No vrangs on your parallel?"

Different universes, different histories and cultures, Renegade.

She frowns. "No who?"

"Vrangs? An alien species that invaded medieval krypton before eventually being kicked off by the natives. That didn't happen on your krypton?"

And depending on Rao's colour at the time, that must have been a feat.

"Not that I remember. I never really bothered studying ancient history, and if Brainiac didn't think it was important, he might just have got rid of the records." She relaxes her arms. "So, okay, she's acting weird. Why do you want to talk to be about it?"

"Because you're both young kryptonian women and I don't know any kryptonian psychologists. I'd like to you try talking to her, find out if there's actually something wrong with her."

Yes, putting all your culture's knowledge in the hands of an AI with what turned out to be untrustworthy goals worked so well..

"I can't just disappear from my job."

"I could kidnap you? I mean, it's not like I ran out of gold kryptonite."

What, you haven't earned a little vacation time in the last few years?

"And it's not like I ran out of radiation shields." She looks away, thinking. "How long will this take?"

"I don't know. How good at psychology are you?"

Ooh, clever girl. The DCAU always did have a Superfamily willing to break out the lead suits, if nothing else.

"Why don't you ask Kal?"

"Your Kal-El?" She nods. "Because I don't want him near the children. Or near me. Did you tell him I'm the one who dosed him with gold kryptonite?"

I mean, it's not like he could do you any harm if he got angry about it...

"No, I left that out. He's actually… Talking to me now. He approves of…" She glances down at her 'S'. "This."

"I imagine he wasn't entirely displeased to learn that Batman died either."

I do hope she isn't wearing the same blue-black and white styling, at least.

"I'm not sure. He wasn't happy when I told him, especially when I told him how." She shrugs. "They were friends for years. I don't think his… Feelings about Batman were that… Simple."

"So is that a hard no from you?"

Mind filling us all in? I'm drawing a blank. It has been a while since I've dived that deep into the archive. I'm assuming it was a 'heroic sacrifice' thing... <@Agumentics posts>

Ah, I see. Yeah, that'll do it.

"I'll see if I can get the time off work, but I'd like to get Kal out of the Fortress. It's not healthy."

I sigh. "Okay. I'll give him a try."

Too bad it's not like he can return to his life as Clark Kent... That probably got burned during the events that sent them into 'superhuman dicators.'

At least the Renegade is smart enough to have an inkling that maybe he effed up somewhere with Kara Zor-El. And seeking aid is probably the best way to get started on fixing it. And a little bit of quid pro quo for Kara In-Ze's aid, I see. I wonder what would happen if Superman-50 met Superman-16R? Mutual disappointment? A sad admittance that the former wished he could be the latter again? I suppose we'll see eventually.

Darko said:
You sorta forgot to mention the fact that you basically put the brain of a Nazi robot into her head.

So you forgot the Nazi robot?

It's possible, as I noted in my commentary, that he didn't even know it was installed in the pod. His metaknowledge is a bit spotty, after all he's been through.

"One little vault break in and maybe a few thousand dollars with of damage."

Delete 'with'...

"Ah… Brainiac's database might have some medical records… He could access all of the data on krypton, but I don't know if he bothered loading it onto the database Kal captured. There's… Probably some intact bodies on Kandor. We didn't really get much kryptonite radiation, unlike krypton."

"Vrangs? An alien species that invaded medieval krypton before eventually being kicked off by the natives. That didn't happen on your krypton?"

Two occurrences of 'krypton' where it should be 'Krypton'.

WereDragon · May 28, 2023

Katillno said:
When did Grayven go to earth 50? Like not this specific time I mean for the first time

During the Stars Crossed episode. Starts here.

RoninSword said:
Batman 50 ordered Grayven to follow him through a portal when he was sitting in jail for killing Klarion.

When did Batman 50 die. And how.

During Conqueror's Moon. Starts here.
As to how, he was standing on an unshielded space station when it was shot with an Apocalyptian strategic weapon. As the renegade points out there would be no body to find. Just a cloud of atomic dust.

RichardWhereat · May 28, 2023

Does anyone remember the episode where Batman 50 appeared? I'd like to reread it.

BR549 · May 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"No, I left that out. He's actually… Talking to me now. He approves of…" She glances down at her 'S'. "This."

Chojin Patriarch said:
I do hope she isn't wearing the same blue-black and white styling, at least.

This may actually be a continuity error, I think. Since back in Conqueror's Moon, Kara-50 was specifically noted as having discarded the 'S'-

Mr Zoat said:
Stormwatch… Ah, Kara In-Ze has switched to a black and yellow costume, the 'S' of House El replaced with what looks like an inverted 'A'. In kryptonian society, yellow meant 'synergy' or 'cooperation', while black meant 'it doesn't show the dirt'. I… Assume that she's trying to separate herself from Kal-El's 'brand'. I've got no idea what House Ze's emblem is. I suppose there's no reason why it couldn't be an inverted 'A'.

- very specifically discarded it in fact.

Mr Zoat said:
I smile back. "Oh, it's the company more than the food. What's with the new costume?"

"I didn't want to wear Kal's colors anymore."

"But they're not Kal-El's colours. They're the colours-."

"Colors of House El, I know."

She gingerly floats herself off the bed and onto the floor, using her flight to bear her weight until she's certain that her legs can manage it.

"Which means that -however much of an arse he's become- they also represent generations of other people who mostly lived up to their ideals. Like Bur-El, who invented the telescope to better calculate tidal patterns, or Shu-El, who-."

"And Pir-El, who blew up four cities and killed their entire populations in a pointless war, and still got a statue made of him."

Oh she's just a treat.

Mr Zoat · May 28, 2023

RoninSword said:
When did Batman 50 die. And how.

When Grayven 50 had his fleet destroy the Watchtower.

Darko said:
You sorta forgot to mention the fact that you basically put the brain of a Nazi robot into her head.
So you forgot the Nazi robot?

I didn't forget. Grayven doesn't know.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Delete 'with'...
Two occurrences of 'krypton' where it should be 'Krypton'.

Thank you, corrected.

BR549 said:
This may actually be a continuity error, I think. Since back in Conqueror's Moon, Kara-50 was specifically noted as having discarded the 'S'-
- very specifically discarded it in fact.

She changed it back.

Ngamer11 · May 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
She changed it back.

Is she using the Renegade's design, her old outfit, the outfit worn by Supergirl in JLU, or a different one altogether?

Doccer · May 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Why do you want to talk to be about it?"

me

Mr Zoat · May 28, 2023

Doccer said:
me

Thank you, corrected.

Ngamer11 said:
Is she using the Renegade's design, her old outfit, the outfit worn by Supergirl in JLU, or a different one altogether?

A different one altogether, though she's still got the one Grayven made and grudgingly admits that it's objectively superior.

Ngamer11 · May 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
A different one altogether, though she's still got the one Grayven made and grudgingly admits that it's objectively superior.

In that case, do you have an image of what costume this Kara is currently using.

Mr Zoat · May 28, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
In that case, do you have an image of what costume this Kara is currently using.

No.

Darko · May 28, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Yeah, animated Kryptonians are extra-broken.

Though not as much as their comic counterparts.

I don't remember any cartoon Superman sneezing a galaxy away.

Chojin Patriarch said:
And technically, barring other members of their species surviving, they technically are the only black- and blonde-haired Kryptonians... In this universe, at least.

Though there probably are others in the Phantom Zone.

Darko · May 28, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
In that case, do you have an image of what costume this Kara is currently using.

I think it was oce mentioned that she's wearing a black bodysuit with the symbol of the In-Ze house on it.

It's also apparently their equivalent of a sports uniform, like a football jersey, and her father was a big sports fan.

Duke Long · May 28, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"Vrangs? An alien species that invaded medieval Krypton before eventually being kicked off by the natives. That didn't happen on your krypton?"

'Krypton'

Mr Zoat · May 28, 2023

Duke Long said:
'Krypton'

Thank you, corrected.

Amrynel · May 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"I'm not the only blonde kryptonian."

…

I feel guilty for thinking it, but I can't help it any more than I can prevent myself snort-chuckling.

"Wha-?" She blinks as she gets it. "Ugh. That's not funny, Grayven."

The coffee doesn't seem to be kicking in, so I'll ask: I don't get it?

Ngamer11 · May 29, 2023

Darko said:
I think it was oce mentioned that she's wearing a black bodysuit with the symbol of the In-Ze house on it.

It's also apparently their equivalent of a sports uniform, like a football jersey, and her father was a big sports fan.

The In-Ze house didn't have a symbol, and you're right in that it's really just the Kryptonian equivalent of a sports jersey.

Someguy Somewhere · May 29, 2023

Amrynel said:
The coffee doesn't seem to be kicking in, so I'll ask: I don't get it?

She IS the only kryptonian with blond hair out of all 2 kryptonians left in her universe. The rest are kinda gone now.....hence the gallows humour.

Cuchulin · May 29, 2023

WereDragon said:
As to how, he was standing on an unshielded space station when it was shot with an Apocalyptian strategic weapon. As the renegade points out there would be no body to find. Just a cloud of atomic dust.

It's Batman, I'm going to assume he survived somehow.

Mr Zoat · May 29, 2023

13th February 2013
22:11 GMT
Earth 50

"Oh. It's you."

Kal-El returns his attention to one of the alien animals he acquired from his fight with the Collector, a big purple herbivore of some sort. It gives him a hug with its face tentacles, and he pats it fondly on the side of its neck.

"It's me."

He walks over to check on the feeding station. "Did you want something?"

"Yeah." I sigh. "I wanted Kara's help with something and she's busy with work-."

"And I'm not." He pats the animal again, then makes his way to the exit from the enclosure. "Not that that means I'd want to help you."

"I wasn't expecting you to volunteer, but you have specific expertise that I need and I'm prepared to hire you."

That gets a frown as he wipes the tentacle goo off with a prepared towel.

"What makes you think I'd want to work for you for any price?"

"Have I done something to offend you?"

I mean, yes, obviously, but Kara didn't tell him about the gold kryptonite-.

"Kara didn't tell me about the dust you used on me, but I run a farm here. I do soil sampling to check that the soil chemistry is right for the crops, and I've got air purification systems set up. It started showing up in the filters a little while after you left."

Ah.

"Guess I'm rumbled then."

"What is it? I couldn't tell exactly what it did, but I doubt that you'd have used it unintentionally."

"Kryptonite comes in more than one colour. That was gold. It basically turns off your powers without causing other damage."

He grimaces. "Luthor beat you to the punch."

I shrug. "What, you expect me to trust Luthor?"

He huffs. "I guess not. And that's why Kara was getting sick, until you removed it."

"Yeah. I kind of assumed it would have settled… Or that she was angry enough to have written you off. She's a really nice person."

Perfectly innocent noses aside.

"Nice isn't enough. I thought what S.H.A.D.E. did would have been enough to teach her that."

"I'm-." I frown. "Did you want her to kill you? Or lobotomise you? Because that would seem to be the logical continuation of that thought process."

"If she had, I'd have understood. But I was more hoping that she'd join me after she experienced how bad America's politics are for herself."

"I think it was less personal than Luthor was for you. She hadn't had years of graciously not tearing his head off to regret. So anyway, reason I'm here, is that I'm worried about the mental state of my universe's Kara. She's… Ah, not like yours, and I'm worried that when we fixed her up after she was seriously injured a while ago we got something wrong."

"And you want me to take a look? I do probably know more than most people about kryptonian medicine. And I've still got Brainiac's database."

"I wanted Kara, but, yeah."

"What are you offering? I doubt you'll give me my powers back."

"No, obviously, but I could upgrade your defences, if you like?" I'm definitely not including him in the program. "Get you a universal television receiver so you can watch alien T.V.? Or just more materials for your own projects? Heck, if you really want I can relocate this place somewhere so you don't have to worry about being murdered in your sleep by vengeful government agents."

"That last one sounds good. I'd still need some way to get back to Earth, though."

I nod. "I can build a zeta beam transporter easily enough. It will be point to point, so if the end station gets discovered that's your problem. That all?"

"I hate corrupt governments. I don't have anything against sick young women, and I…" He sighs. "It wasn't ever about taking power myself. It was always about… Trying to help people. Make their lives better. You hit me with that gold kryptonite of yours a few minutes after meeting me. Would you have handled the supervillains we lobotomised any different?"

"I'd have settled for killing most of them. Having them around with two burn scars on their foreheads just harmed your brand. When they stop being capable of evil, anyone who interacts with them is just left looking at a harmless person you harmed." His eyes drift away as he considers what I'm saying. "With a corpse, people would just move on, and they wouldn't have that constant visual reminder of who killed them."

"That's not a bad idea."

"There were actually a whole lot of other things you could have done better, propaganda-wise. Given your background as a journalist, I'm surprised it didn't occur to you to manufacture some consent."

"My journalism classes were about teaching me to spot someone else doing that stuff, not how to do it myself."

"You were in charge of the country. Should have changed the curriculum."

He makes an amused exhalation. "I'll remember that next time."

I smile. "That's the spirit. Anything you need to do, or are you alright to head out now?"

He walks over to a wall panel and presses a button. A few moments later, a… Somewhat weathered Superman robot trudges in and heads towards the next pen.

"It's not that hard to automate things, but I need something to do myself."

I nod. "Right then. Mother Box?"

Ping.

BOOM!

A few animals squawk or grunt, but for the most part they accept the noise and the glowing hole in reality.

I lead the way through, back into Karsta's office in the cloning facility.

"Karsta Wor-Ul, this is Kal-El Fifty." Karsta studies his face intensely, frowning as she does so. "I've asked him to have a chat with Kara, see if he can-."

"Fine. Fine. I don't need to know every little thing you get up to."

"He took over his Earth after their Lex Luthor proved to be an incompetent lunatic. I think you might like him more than our Kal-El."

She takes in Kal-El's farm overalls. "He dresses better."

"I probably used to dress the same way. It's just not really a good idea to wear a cape around farming equipment."

I nod. "Alright, I'll take-."

Ping.

I stare down at Mother Box. "Seriously?"

Ping.

"Okay, ah…" I look at Kal-El and Karsta. "I'm sorry, but it sounds like Atlantis has risen from the ocean and I need to get back to Earth. Karsta, could you please show Kal-El around, introduce him to Kara, that sort of thing?"

She gets up out of her chair. "Sure. Probably-"

Mother Box.

BOOM!

I jog through the portal back to Challenger Mountain.

"-best to start with the healing pod…"

Vaermina · May 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
13th February 2013
22:11 GMT
Earth 50

I like how the whole Gold Kryptonite thing only works here because this Kal-El doesn't care enough to fix it.

Ngamer11 · May 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
He walks over to a wall panel and presses a button. A few moments later, a… Someone weathered Superman robot trudges in and heads towards the next pen.

That should say 'somewhat'.

Mr Zoat said:
Ping.

I stare down at Mother Box. "Seriously?"

Ping.

"Okay, ah…" I look at Kal-El and Karsta. "I'm sorry, but it sounds like Atlantis has risen from the ocean and I need to get back to Earth. Karsta, could you please show Kal-El around, introduce him to Kara, that sort of thing?"

And now it seems that Ahri'ahn has finally made his move. Mr Zoat, is it safe to assume that he hasn't done anything like this in the Paragon timeline because he saw what was happening, approved, and then continued on time travelling forwards?

Vaermina said:
I like how the whole Gold Kryptonite thing only works here because this Kal-El doesn't care enough to fix it.

Plus the fact that he doesn't know that what Luthor did would've eventually worn off and that the Gold Kryptonite is depowering him permanently.

Vaermina · May 29, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
Plus the fact that he doesn't know that what Luthor did would've eventually worn off and that the Gold Kryptonite is depowering him permanently.

You know there are cures for Gold Kryptonite right?

And some times it just randomly wears off.

Bigking321 · May 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"-best to start with the healing pod…"

I'm getting the feeling he might get his powers back soon.

Ngamer11 · May 29, 2023

Vaermina said:
You know there are cures for Gold Kryptonite right?

And some times it just randomly wears off.

I don't remember where it was, but I believe Paul told Kara that eventually, gold kryptonite's effects can become permanent due to it working by damaging the parts of their cells that provide the energy for their powers.

Chojin Patriarch · May 29, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
13th February 2013
22:11 GMT
Earth 50

"Oh. It's you."

Kal-El returns his attention to one of the alien animals he acquired from his fight with the Collector, a big purple herbivore of some sort. It gives him a hug with its face tentacles, and he pats it fondly on the side of its neck.

For a second, I thought you meant the Collector was a big purple herbivore.

But a farm animal does make more sense. I see Kal-El has been keeping busy, at least, now that the world decided it doesn't want him around.

"It's me."

He walks over to check on the feeding station. "Did you want something?"

Oh, he wants many things. A more accurate question would be 'What does he want from you?'

"Yeah." I sigh. "I wanted Kara's help with something and she's busy with work-."

"And I'm not." He pats the animal again, then makes his way to the exit from the enclosure. "Not that that means I'd want to help you."

Oh, don't be down, Kal. Perhaps you'll find a new pastime besides farming to occupy your time. A man needs a hobby, after all.

"I wasn't expecting you to volunteer, but you have specific expertise that I need and I'm prepared to hire you."

That gets a frown as he wipes the tentacle goo off with a prepared towel.

Heh. A whole different kind of messy work to conventional farming.

"What makes you think I'd want to work for you for any price?"

"Have I done something to offend you?"

...Shit, he knows about the Gold-K, doesn't he?

I mean, yes, obviously, but Kara didn't tell him about the gold kryptonite-.

"Kara didn't tell me about the dust you used on me, but I run a farm here. I do soil sampling to check that the soil chemistry is right for the crops, and I've got air purification systems set up. It started showing up in the filters a little while after you left."

Yeah. People think he's just a flying strongman, but Kal-El is the scion of a scientific culture. The man is a legitimate genius.

Ah.

"Guess I'm rumbled then."

No point denying it. Worst case, just say it was a Batman backup plan.

"What is it? I couldn't tell exactly what it did, but I doubt that you'd have used it unintentionally."

"Kryptonite comes in more than one colour. That was gold. It basically turns off your powers without causing other damage."

Well, except to your kryptonian solar organelles. Honestly, he's lucky you didn't give him some sort of super-cancer.

He grimaces. "Luthor beat you to the punch."

I shrug. "What, you expect me to trust Luthor?"

Besides, Luthor's thing was technically wearing off. The Renegade was being cautious.

He huffs. "I guess not. And that's why Kara was getting sick, until you removed it."

"Yeah. I kind of assumed it would have settled… Or that she was angry enough to have written you off. She's a really nice person."

Heh. A typical Renegade action result: It seems fine now, but there are always unintended consequences.

Perfectly innocent noses aside.

"Nice isn't enough. I thought what S.H.A.D.E. did would have been enough to teach her that."

Sadly, when someone she's trusted for years does something like you did, it does kind of have lasting effects.

"I'm-." I frown. "Did you want her to kill you? Or lobotomise you? Because that would seem to be the logical continuation of that thought process."

"If she had, I'd have understood. But I was more hoping that she'd join me after she experienced how bad America's politics are for herself."

Optimistic, for someone who decided the world wasn't mature enough to be trusted to lead itself...

"I think it was less personal than Luthor was for you. She hadn't had years of graciously not tearing his head off to regret. So anyway, reason I'm here, is that I'm worried about the mental state of my universe's Kara. She's… Ah, not like yours, and I'm worried that when we fixed her up after she was seriously injured a while ago we got something wrong."

"And you want me to take a look? I do probably know more than most people about kryptonian medicine. And I've still got Brainiac's database."

Let's hope it's reasonably compatible, besides the obvious elements of kryptonian biology. At least Sixteen and Fifty have similar technologies.

"I wanted Kara, but, yeah."

"What are you offering? I doubt you'll give me my powers back."

Dude, you are not your muscles alone. Remember, you are the product of generations of scientific refinement... Try putting the meat in your head to work sometime.

"No, obviously, but I could upgrade your defences, if you like?" I'm definitely not including him in the program. "Get you a universal television receiver so you can watch alien T.V.? Or just more materials for your own projects? Heck, if you really want I can relocate this place somewhere so you don't have to worry about being murdered in your sleep by vengeful government agents."

"That last one sounds good. I'd still need some way to get back to Earth, though."

A Boom Tube generator might be a bit much, mind. And likely get the attention of the local Apokaliptians.

I nod. "I can build a zeta beam transporter easily enough. It will be point to point, so if the end station gets discovered that's your problem. That all?"

"I hate corrupt governments. I don't have anything against sick young women, and I…" He sighs. "It wasn't ever about taking power myself. It was always about… Trying to help people. Make their lives better. You hit me with that gold kryptonite of yours a few minutes after meeting me. Would you have handled the supervillains we lobotomised any different?"

Ooh, that's a loaded question. Why lobotomise them, instead of just executing them? Surely some of them would have earned it...

"I'd have settled for killing most of them. Having them around with two burn scars on their foreheads just harmed your brand. When they stop being capable of evil, anyone who interacts with them is just left looking at a harmless person you harmed." His eyes drift away as he considers what I'm saying. "With a corpse, people would just move on, and they wouldn't have that constant visual reminder of who killed them."

"That's not a bad idea."

Except you were too nice to think of it, weren't you, Kal? All of you were still trying to tell yourselves you were still heroes.

"There were actually a whole lot of other things you could have done better, propaganda-wise. Given your background as a journalist, I'm surprised it didn't occur to you to manufacture some consent."

"My journalism classes were about teaching me to spot someone else doing that stuff, not how to do it myself."

The you should at least have understood the value of good publicity...

"You were in charge of the country. Should have changed the curriculum."

He makes an amused exhalation. "I'll remember that next time."

Ooh, confident.

Got to love that sarcastic streak in DCAU Supermen.

I smile. "That's the spirit. Anything you need to do, or are you alright to head out now?"

He walks over to a wall panel and presses a button. A few moments later, a… Someone weathered Superman robot trudges in and heads towards the next pen.

I'm betting it's seen some shit over the years.

"It's not that hard to automate things, but I need something to do myself."

I nod. "Right then. Mother Box?"

True. Give someone unlimited leisure, and sooner or later, they get antsy.

Ping.

BOOM!

Heh. Got to love the casual breaching of vibrational barriers between universes. Such a Renegade thing to do.

A few animals squawk or grunt, but for the most part they accept the noise and the glowing hole in reality.

I lead the way through, back into Karsta's office in the cloning facility.

And she's probably all 'Now what?'

"Karsta Wor-Ul, this is Kal-El Fifty." Karsta studies his face intensely, frowning as she does so. "I've asked him to have a chat with Kara, see if he can-."

"Fine. Fine. I don't need to know every little thing you get up to."

Familiarity breeds contempt, Renegade. and she's plenty familiar with you.

"He took over his Earth after their Lex Luthor proved to be an incompetent lunatic. I think you might like him more than our Kal-El."

She takes in Kal-El's farm overalls. "He dresses better."

Hey, don't knock superheroic fashion. Hell, would you prefer a textured unitard with no trunks?

"I probably used to dress the same way. It's just not really a good idea to wear a cape around farming equipment."

I nod. "Alright, I'll take-."

Ping.

"Grayven, League red alert. Atlantis has risen." Well, looks like we'll be getting plenty of action in the B-plot of the episode, at least.

I stare down at Mother Box. "Seriously?"

Ping.

"Offical channel. It's real. Formerly underwater city floating on the surface and everything." Let's hope the people are handling the transition well. I doubt everybody managed to get to safety in the water...

"Okay, ah…" I look at Kal-El and Karsta. "I'm sorry, but it sounds like Atlantis has risen from the ocean and I need to get back to Earth. Karsta, could you please show Kal-El around, introduce him to Kara, that sort of thing?"

She gets up out of her chair. "Sure. Probably-"

And isn't it just such a sign of how odd their lives are that that statement is taken completely seriously?

Mother Box.

BOOM!

Ah, instant teleportation gateways. The second-fastest way to get around the universe.

I jog through the portal back to Challenger Mountain.

"-best to start with the healing pod…"

What's the bet Kal finds the Eradicator protocols within minutes of checking the pod's systems?

Well, then. It seems Ahri'ahn has had enough of waiting. He's going to make Atlantis the power it once was, and end up facing the entire Justice League in the process. Let's hope they've got the oomph to overcome him. But why do I get the feeling Kal-El will not only find out what's wrong with Kara, but also how to fix himself? And not just physically, perhaps...

Mr Zoat · May 29, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
That should say 'somewhat'.

Thank you, corrected.

And now it seems that Ahri'ahn has finally made his move. Mr Zoat, is it safe to assume that he hasn't done anything like this in the Paragon timeline because he saw what was happening, approved, and then continued on time travelling forwards?

No.

Sockmonkey · May 29, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
I don't remember where it was, but I believe Paul told Kara that eventually, gold kryptonite's effects can become permanent due to it working by damaging the parts of their cells that provide the energy for their powers.

Yep. He also mentioned the possibility of it having other bad long-term effects as it is damaging part of the cell functions.

ForeverShogo · May 29, 2023

Well, I could easily see Superman 50 getting back his superpowers. Then someone would have to beat his ass again, because in the comics he did take over again. And tried to get revenge on the Justice League. Because of course he did.

That was the main problem with the Justice Lords and similar such evil Leagues. They can't just content themselves with "fixing" their Earth. They have to stick their dicks in other universes. Then lose to their good counterparts somehow, even though they should absolutely be winning because it's the same people and powers only they aren't holding back anymore.

Darko · May 29, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Yeah. People think he's just a flying strongman, but Kal-El is the scion of a scientific culture. The man is a legitimate genius.

I remember a comic where he basically learned a lifetime worth of medical knowledge in a few moments using superspeed.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Well, then. It seems Ahri'ahn has had enough of waiting. He's going to make Atlantis the power it once was, and end up facing the entire Justice League in the process

Only if he plans on conquering.

Though even if he isn't planningthat, Atlantis rising could have potentially harmed the citizens that aren't so well equipped for living outside of water.

Not to mention the potential geologic and enviromental instability that can occur when a whole continent suddenly emerges.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Let's hope they've got the oomph to overcome him. But why do I get the feeling Kal-El will not only find out what's wrong with Kara, but also how to fix himself? And not just physically, perhaps...

Because you have good instincts.

Pinklestia · May 29, 2023

Well, what does Grayven has in anti magic?

With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

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