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

Justice Segue (part 18)
17th November 2017
09:32 GMT -5


It takes a moment.

All I really think is: 'His spines can't move like that. My chest should be in the way.'

And then I taste blood, and I re-enact Superman: Red Son by flying through one.. building after another so quickly that between that and the blood loss I'm really not sure how many it is. The only mercy for me is that since I'm not a kryptonian I'm not aware of how many people I turned into pâté on the way.

And then I.. stop. In a basement of some sort, concrete straining and fragmenting around me.

Ugh.

"Grayven to everyone." Ugh. "Waller made a new Doomsday. Haven't seen it fly or use a vision weapon yet."

Healing ray, please.

It appears, and I shoot myself in the.. gaping chest wound that I try not to look at too closely.

"I knew he existed, but given how little of his mind appeared to survive the transformation I didn't think they'd try using him." I pull myself to my feet, using a construct corset to support my still-healing torso. "You could try using his comrades as human shields. He might recognise them. I'm going to need.. thirty seconds to be combat effective."

Mother Box, boom tube to Victor Stone.

Ping?

You want to leave him plugged in to Father's Box?

Ping.

BOOM!

I stick my right arm through, grab the first metal thing I feel and the drag it back. And continuing the universe's colour theme, this Cyborg is grey as well.

"Huh?"

"Use the metal part of your brain to think quickly. Government mad scientists made a new Doomsday, and your software is full of Apokoliptian malware."

"Uh. No, Dad made my cybernetics."

"Cribbing from devices he didn't understand, then you plugged yourself into one. I'm offering you an upgrade. No more control issues, and across the board improvements in performance. No more dysphoria. And I can change the colour to something a bit more cheerful. Five seconds to decide, then I'll have to do it later."

He looks shocked, in a happy sort of way. "Ah, yeah, yeah."

I nod. "Good show."

I put my left hand on his shoulder and take the Themysciran Box fragment from my belt with my right before pressing it against his chest.
Toy Soldier
I feel Father's malign influence immediately, but it's third or fourth hand. Easily dealt with if I apply a little force.
Ave Deus Machina

His body starts reconfiguring at once as I push the Box inside him. Faint veins of gold run through his silver-coloured plating as his internals shift to a more human-friendly configuration. Plates smooth and take on the form of human musculature, the glowing hole for the scavenged power source closed as the Box replaces it. Nerve impulse processors are similarly routed through the box as it effectively merges with his human brain. And I make sure it knows that it works for Victor.

Ping.

Faux-heartbeat, faux-pulse, mode switch between armoured and skin-like… Keep the weapons but-. Yes, like that. Extra-dimensional storage isn't difficult to include. Maybe a little more gold?

Ping.

Well, there's a lot less flesh there than I was expecting. We could offer to clone something for him later, but between a civilian-mode and the Box fragment he shouldn't need it. Done?

Ping.

"Okay, take a moment to get used to-"

He looks down at himself. "The fuck-?"

"-it language! You're a superhero!"

He looks at his arms, hands, torso and-.

I roll my eyes as his response to him covering his genitals. "Perhaps combat mode. Don't come out until you understand your basic functions."

Mother Box.

BOOM!

I armour up as I fly through the tube, scanning to try and find out what's going-.

Okay, add… Rebuilding most of Dallas to the itinerary. This-.

A small child in what looks like a prison uniform with a full face-covering helmet throws beams of golden energy at Manhunter, forming an aura around him and-

"Aaagh!"

-I don't know exactly what it's doing, but it clearly hurts. Nay I recognise because he was on my long list for my villain squad. I didn't pick him because I didn't want to endanger a child, but-.

I generate a cage around him and then thrust him into a partially destroyed building, breaking his line of sight and causing him to stop blasting Manhunter. That helmet, what's-.

Without turning his head he raises his hands and blasts me, energy slamming to my armour and shield, eating at them, but… Manageable. I turn the bars into solid barriers which gives me a chance to dash closer.

"Nay, stop, please. I need-."

"RAAAAHHHHH!"

"I need to deal with th-"

Golden energy blasts a hole in the construct crate and slams into my shield again. Okay, no starfish or butterfly, so he's not a corpse puppet. Can't see any other control technology-. Conditioning. The helmet. Without alien technology they aren't advanced enough for sophisticated implants, Burma or the Chinese. Just remove it.

I push the shield forwards until it envelops his hands, then use the respite to shove my hands through my own crate construct, grab his helmet and rip it off him in two halves.

He stops blasting at once, looking around in fear and confusion. I dose him with a knockout agent at once, catch him as he collapses and-

BOOM!

-gently shove him through the tube into Absolute Dominion's nursery.

"Grayven to Luna. One child guest. Please settle him in."

"Of course. Hath we acquired a new ward?"

"Maybe. I'll try tracing his family after I've brutally slaughtered the people who put him in a war zone. Out."

I take a purple healing ray in hand and fly out to where I last saw Manhunter. He's looking functional but unsteady, his skin gradually regaining its standard shape and texture. I shoot him with the healing ray and receive a grateful nod. Does he recognise the technology?

No. Something else I need to find out first.

"Why are you siding with me?"

"Darkseid, the ruler of Apokolips, first heard of the Anti-Life Equation from Mars. I incorrectly assumed that you were here on his service. Now that I know you fight against him, my course is clear."

I toss him the healing ray.

"Patch yourself up and then come and find us. I think we're going to need you."
 
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Well, there's a lot les flesh there than I was expecting. We could offer to clone something for him later, but between a civilian-mode and the Box fragment he shouldn't need it. Done?
That should say 'less'.

I generate a cage around him and then [color]thrust him into a partially destroyed building[/color], breaking his line of sight and causing him to stop blasting Manhunter. That helmet, what's-.
Missing color format.

"Why are you siding with me?"

"Darkseid, the ruler of Apokolips, first heard of the Anti-Life Equation from Mars. I incorrectly assumed that you were here on his service. Now that I know you fight against him, my course is clear."
So you're going with that origin of how Darkseid learned of the Anti-Life. Does that apply to any of the other universes we've seen in this story?
 
On a side note before we finish with this franchise world tour I would kind of like to see a 'Where Are They Now' end piece 5 years later for Magic Paul and the Power Rangers. Just to close out how things have been going. How much have Eastern Europe and Africa been stabilized by an Orange Lantern with no real counter if he's not outright taking over the planet?

Have any global powers formed into blocs of some kind to resist Paul's 'help'? In such a scenario it would be interesting to indirectly fuck with Great Power Nations. Like if the violence and instability is stopped and Paul has built something that can last and restarted an economy, are people moving to these newly liberated and productive nations for jobs and higher standard of living? I like that as an idea. Draw away manpower and families and the youth from nations you want to weaken where they cannot directly fight against it or be seen as tyrannical. Closing the borders and preventing travel would be an option, but that is just in a way admitting defeat and could not stand forever.

Plus any anti ballistic missile Star Wars system Paul mentioned he wanted to do would grind a lot of elite gears. As would the idea that more peace and instability is bad for the bottom line of military contractors so donors and moneyed interests would be driving any government opposition.
 
17th November 2017
09:32 GMT -5


It takes a moment.

All I really think is: 'His spines can't move like that. My chest should be in the way.'
...Ouch. Well, that's one way to make an entrance. I'm guessing the Boy isn't smart enough for any tactic other than 'smash the big one'. And that, he's done with aplomb. Hopefully the others can deal with things while the Renegade puts himself back together.

And then I taste blood, and I re-enact Superman: Red Son by flying through one.. building after another so quickly that between that and the blood loss I'm really not sure how many it is. The only mercy for me is that since I'm not a kryptonian I'm not aware of how many people I turned into pâté on the way.
Since the evacuation hasn't really gotten underway, and people are already turning up for work. Great. Collateral damage might rival Metropolis.

And then I.. stop. In a basement of some sort, concrete straining and fragmenting around me.

Ugh.
Cheap modern building versus extremely tough person equals world of cardboard.

"Grayven to everyone." Ugh. "Waller made a new Doomsday. Haven't seen it fly or use a vision weapon yet."

Healing ray, please.
Trying to catch your breath with a possible pierced lung is probably difficult, eh?

It appears, and I shoot myself in the.. gaping chest wound that I try not to look at too closely.

"I knew he existed, but given how little of his mind appeared to survive the transformation I didn't think they'd try using him." I pull myself to my feet, using a construct corset to support my still-healing torso. "You could try using his comrades as human shields. He might recognise them. I'm going to need.. thirty seconds to be combat effective."
...Well, there's a look. And somehow, I don't think Boy'll slow down for anything.

Mother Box, boom tube to Victor Stone.

Ping?
"You're going to bring him into this? Are you sure?" Honestly, they need every hand they can get. And Superman would need too much prep time.

You want to leave him plugged in to Father's Box?

Ping.
"Good point. Locating him now, and opening tube." Right, that is his origin here, isn't it? Running on reverse-engineered apokaliptian tech...

BOOM!

I stick my right arm through, grab the first metal thing I feel and the drag it back. And continuing the universe's colour theme, this Cyborg is grey as well.
Hey, he does get better at the end of the movie, once his frame isn't in combat mode the whole time. It's still way too silver, but it's a start.

"Huh?"

"Use the metal part of your brain to think quickly. Government mad scientists made a new Doomsday, and your software is full of Apokoliptian malware."
Like that defensive protocol that made his weapons systems go hot at the sight of a revived Superman...

"Uh. No, Dad made my cybernetics."

"Cribbing from devices he didn't understand, then you plugged yourself into one. I'm offering you an upgrade. No more control issues, and across the board improvements in performance. No more dysphoria. And I can change the colour to something a bit more cheerful. Five seconds to decide, then I'll have to do it later."
So, he can look something closer to the comic book appearances, then. At the very least.

He looks shocked, in a happy sort of way. "Ah, yeah, yeah."

I nod. "Good show."
Kind of a rushed decision, but given his appearance and functioning before this... I can understand his willingness.

I put my left hand on his shoulder and take the Themysciran Box fragment from my belt with my right before pressing it against his chest.
Toy Soldier
I feel Father's malign influence immediately, but it's third or forth hand. Easily dealt with if I apply a little force.
Ave Deus Machina
Interesting... 'Hail the God Machine'? Well, that is technically what he will be.

His body starts reconfiguring at once as I push the Box inside him. Faint veins of gold run through his silver-coloured plating as his internals shift to a more human-friendly configuration. Plates smooth and take on the form of human musculature, the glowing hole for the scavenged power source closed as the Box replaces it. Nerve impulse processors are similarly routed through the box as it effectively merges with his human brain. And I make sure it knows that it works for Victor.
And not for his Father. Good plan. And the golden touch sounds like a swanky look.

Ping.

Faux-heartbeat, faux-pulse, mode switch between armoured and skin-like… Keep the weapons but-. Yes, like that. Extra-dimensional storage isn't difficult to include. Maybe a little more gold?
"Perhaps not looking like a patchwork of man and metal?" I mean, able to switch at will is good. But his armoured form could hopefully look less like a skeleton rolled in a scrapyard. :p

Ping.

Well, there's a lot les flesh there than I was expecting. We could offer to clone something for him later, but between a civilian-mode and the Box fragment he shouldn't need it. Done?
"I suspect he'll enjoy having the parts he was missing restored." And that's surprisingly less than the comics, who was closer to a quadruple amputee plus internal organ and facial damage. Movie version looked more like the only bits left were half his head.

Ping.

"Okay, take a moment to get use to-"
"This configuration should at least look better. Especially for his state of mind." Right, then. Probably not going to be the golden man of the Omegadrome era, but at least he's human-looking?

He looks down at himself. "The fuck-?"

"-it language! You're a superhero!"
You can tell the Renegade is a father, can't you? :D

He looks at his arms, hands, torso and-.

I roll my eyes as his response to him covering his genitals. "Perhaps combat mode. Don't come out until you understand your basic functions."
Or have some pants handy.

Mother Box.

BOOM!

I armour up as I fly through the tube, scanning to try and find out what's going-.
Since who knows what Boy's been up to in the couple of minutes that took? Given what Doomsday mark 1 managed...

Okay, add… Rebuilding most of Dallas to the itinerary. This-.

A small child in what looks like a prison uniform with a full face-covering helmet throws beams of golden energy at Manhunter, forming an aura around him and-
Another Last Line member, or a Superfunctionary? The prison uniform suggests the latter.

"Aaagh!"

-I don't know exactly what it's doing, but it clearly hurts. Nay I recognise because he was on my long list for my villain squad. I didn't pick him because I didn't want to endanger a child, but-.
If someone else has sent him in, then they just jumped up your punishment list.

I generate a cage around him and then thrust him into a partially destroyed building, breaking his line of sight and causing him to stop blasting Manhunter. That helmet, what's-.

Without turning his head he raises his hands and blasts me, energy slamming to my armour and shield, eating at them, but… Manageable. I turn the bars into solid barriers which gives me a chance to dash closer.
Joy of dealing with psychics. They don't necessarily need eyes to see you, or hands to fight you.

"Nay, stop, please. I need-."

"RAAAAHHHHH!"

"I need to deal with th-"
Well, whatever they did, it's pissed him off royally.

Golden energy blasts a hole in the construct crate and slams into my shield again. Okay, no starfish or butterfly, so he's not a corpse puppet. Can't see any other control technology-. Conditioning. The helmet. Without alien technology they aren't advanced enough for sophisticated implants, Burma or the Chinese. Just remove it.

I push the shield forwards until it envelops his hands, then use the respite to shove my hands through my own crate construct, grab his helmet and rip it off him in two halves.
Let's hope it wasn't attached to anything important. If it was, the Renegade should be able to patch it up...

He stops blasting at once, looking around in fear and confusion. I dose him with a knockout agent at once, catch him as he collapses and-

BOOM!
Yeah, not letting him hang around here, no matter how useful he'd be in restraining Boy. The Renegade ain't that sort of leader.

-gently shove him through the tube into Absolute Dominion's nursery.

"Grayven to Luna. One child guest. Please settle him in."
...And of course the giant warship has a nursery. Presumably not just for the Renegade, though. A ship that big is basically a small country, and people gonna occupy themselves somehow.

"Of course. Hath we acquired a new ward?"

"Maybe. I'll try tracing his family after I've brutally slaughtered the people who put him in a war zone. Out."
...I suspect said family no longer exist. Especially if it's the Committee's work.

I take a purple healing ray in hand and fly out to where I last saw Manhunter. He's looking functional but unsteady, his skin gradually regaining its standard shape and texture. I shoot him with the healing ray and receive a grateful nod. Does he recognise the technology?

No. Something else I need to find out first.
And that texture would be very rich, no doubt, because Movieverse. I'm betting something similar to the ray existed on Mars.

"Why are you siding with me?"

"Darkseid, the ruler of Apokolips, first heard of the Anti-Life Equation from Mars. I incorrectly assumed that you were here on his service. Now that I know you fight against him, my course is clear."
...Huh. There's an interesting detail I didn't know about the movieverse. Unless that's Mr Zoat's invention...

I toss him the healing ray.

"Patch yourself up and then come and find us. I think we're going to need you."
Since it might take too long to sit there doing it for him. Not with the Boy running around...

All right. Looks like that's about as much of a League as you're going to get. A bit more 'Detroit' era than 'Watchtower', but in this case, the Renegade will have to take what he gets. Especially if any of his recruits sign on. I can see Nate doing that, at least. Now, what to do about the rampaging pseudo-kryptonian behemoth currently levelling most of the city centre?
 
A small child in what looks like a prison uniform with a full face-covering helmet throws beams of golden energy at Manhunter, forming an aura around him and-

"Aaagh!"

-I don't know exactly what it's doing, but it clearly hurts. Nay I recognise because he was on my long list for my villain squad. I didn't pick him because I didn't want to endanger a child, but-.
I tried looking this character up, but I couldn't find them. Can you give a link to their page in the DC wiki?

...Huh. There's an interesting detail I didn't know about the movieverse. Unless that's Mr Zoat's invention...
In at least one comic story, it was explained that Darkseid visited Mars in the past and learned that they achieved harmony with one another thanks to something that they called the Life Equation. He then posited that since there is a Life Equation, there must be an opposite that he could find and use for himself.
 
That should say 'less'.
Missing color format.
Thank you, corrected.
So you're going with that origin of how Darkseid learned of the Anti-Life. Does that apply to any of the other universes we've seen in this story?
No.
I tried looking this character up, but I couldn't find them. Can you give a link to their page in the DC wiki?
No, but it's Checkmate (2006), issues 6-8.
 
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Justice Segue (part 19)
17th November 2017
09:35 GMT -5


I fly towards the explosions, wondering how the heck I'm going to handle this.

I wasn't expecting them to back me. This Diana… Okay, she's effectively been an American citizen since the end of World War One. But she hasn't been a superhero, and I… Guess that she still thinks of herself more as Themysciran, and that Diana Prince is just a mask? Greek city-states were happy to kill or exile kings and tyrants while the system still carried on, so maybe that's how she's thinking about this? Hippolyta must have given me a glowing report.

Manhunter, I genuinely didn't know that his people told the local Darkseid about the Anti-Life. If that's his primary concern, fine. King Curry stayed in Atlantis because I didn't go for the Box that ended up in Atlantean care, so he's not involved. Cyborg… Maybe it's idealism? I did just show that the entire American political establishment needs a good hard patriots-and-traitors 2nd amendmenting.

One thing I've long liked about the American constitutional arrangement is the obligation it puts on the citizenry to rise up and execute their rulers if they become too tyrannical, and that it guarantees that they'll have the tools to do so. If I'm taking over, perhaps I need to consider giving them better guns?

So the options are that I either become more evil and convince them to overthrow me, or that I put up with it. That problem is that my god-name means that I… Doing something counterproductive-. I can't. When I first found out about that limitation I took it a bit to heart, but I'm well used to it now. Pursuing one path rather than another is something that I can do, even if I expect to be defeated. Doing something I know to be stupid…
Constructive Principle Observation
Looks like I'm stuck with it. Maybe I can organise a resistance campaign against myself later?

Ring, message to Lena Luthor. 'How attached are you to your brother?'

Message sent.

My ring pings me an alert and I look up to see Captain Banks just staring down at the rubble. One of his swords is missing, the cable which it was attached to severed with the end hanging loose.

Project.

"Not so edifying-" He looks around, spotting me after a moment. "-when you're the one causing it."

"I read his file. It's fucked up, this whole situation-." He points his sword at me. "Does killing you even get us anything?"

"The envy of my few surviving enemies. A natty head for your mantle. Though I'm puzzled as to what changed your mind."

"I read the file on that poor bastard. Just some.. kid, and Waller did that to him. Is he even still in there?"

I wince as a burst of very high pitched sound makes my teeth vibrate, and I see a flare of green.

"I don't know. Though while we're on the subject, the volunteers who didn't survive could do with your pity, too."

"Shit."

"Things like that aren't why I'm overthrowing your government, but it does rather damage the moral justification for the loyalist side. Deploying him in a city destroys it and completely eliminates any chance of me offering clemency."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Rescue civilians and try persuading Adams to disengage."

"What about Brannon and Gibson?"

"Brannon knowingly unleashed it. He's a dead man. Gibson's in Scotland. I don't care about him. Do what you like."

I fly again. Brannon is trying to shoot down the Batwing, which is viffing and launching smoke-. Does that idiot not understand what happens when you fire giant energy beams in a civilian area? Particularly when the aiming system is a human eyeball and the target is high in the sky?

Drone squadron 1. Hunt and kill.

BOOM!

Squadron dispatched. Warning, quantum event-.

Fuck! I fly as fast as I can towards the latest explosion of rubble, which it turns out is Walker with Adam in his right hand and repeatedly slamming him into a pile to broken bricks. Adam's epidermis is rent through and I can see the non-space inside, while Adam himself is gamely blasting Walker in the face with a continual beam.

It's not doing anything.

Walker is… Something else. Unlike Doomsday he doesn't have beard or sideburn spines, just weirdly huge teeth which protrude from his mouth. Where Doomsday was bald, he has what are either dreadlocks or some sort of head cable, with a glowing green radiation symbol on his forehead. His eyes and spines glow green, and unlike alpha radiation kryptonite radiation can easily penetrate skin. Everyone exposed and not immune to cancer is going to need monthly checks at least.

Hah, listen to me.
Taken To Our Leader
I land, daiklave in a two-handed grip.
Purpose Lends Strength
"Private Walker. I-."

Adam is tossed aside and Walker is leaping at me. I use my aero-discs to dodge, and-. Relax my telepathic barrier.

**Manhunter.**

Walker lands already knowing that he's missed, legs already pushing off the ground to propel him towards me, spurs already within-

Dodge!

-slashing distance! I try half-parrying a swing as I desperately keep dodging and-. His spur doesn't even get chipped while my daiklave loses a quarter of its length.

Dodge!

He's not leaping or jumping any more. No, he's using his size and speed to keep pressing me, to keep advancing and keep hitting-

A near miss causes the tarmac to explode in a plume of dirt and dust!

-at me.

**I hear you. I am providing medical aid-.**

**I need you to see if there's-**

Agh! A glancing hit and his spur sliced through the left side of my face.

**-any of Joshua Walker left in there.**

**His mind-.**

I fire energy pulses at his eyes but not only do they not hurt him but he doesn't even seem to get distracted.

**I know, but I need to know.**

A construct platform momentarily removes the friction between the ground and his feet, causing him to slip. A second's distraction, and I use the opening to grab my mega rod and smack him right on the radiation symbol.

**Then I will try.**

**Thank you.**

That knocks him down, but his spines shatter my construct and he rebounds immediately and I'm too close! He grabs my right arm and pulls!
 
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Manhunter, I genuinely didn't know that his people told the local Darkseid about the Anti-Life. If that's his primary concern, fine. King Curry stayed in Atlantis because I didn't got for the Box that ended up in Atlantean care, so he's not involved. Cyborg… Maybe it's idealism? I did just show that the entire American political establishment needs a good hard patriots-and-traitors 2nd amendmenting.
That should say 'go'.

So the options are that I either become more evil and convince them to overthrow me, or that I put up with it. That problem is that my god-name means that I… Doing something counterproductive-. I can't. When I first found out about that limitation I took it a bit to heart, but I'm well used to it now. Pursuing one path rather than another is something that I can do, even if I expect to be defeated. Doing something I know to be stupid…
Constructive Principle Observation
Looks like I'm stuck with it. Maybe I can organise a resistance campaign against myself later?
So the Renegade needs to actually conquer a place to improve it directly? That explains why he was playing the less evil conqueror here.
 
17th November 2017
09:35 GMT -5


I fly towards the explosions, wondering how the heck I'm going to handle this.

I wasn't expecting them to back me. This Diana… Okay, she's effectively been an American citizen since the end of World War One. But she hasn't been a superhero, and I… Guess that she still thinks of herself more as Themysciran, and that Diana Prince is just a mask? Greek city-states were happy to kill or exile kings and tyrants while the system still carried on, so maybe that's how she's thinking about this? Hippolyta must have given me a glowing report.
Or she figures that the lesser of two evils is the better option. The Renegade at least said he'd likely let individual countries operate as they have been within his laws. His 'Father'? It's His way or no way at all...

Manhunter, I genuinely didn't know that his people told the local Darkseid about the Anti-Life. If that's his primary concern, fine. King Curry stayed in Atlantis because I didn't go for the Box that ended up in Atlantean care, so he's not involved. Cyborg… Maybe it's idealism? I did just show that the entire American political establishment needs a good hard patriots-and-traitors 2nd amendmenting.
Plus, you just gave him the mother of all Service Pack updates, which would definitely improve his mood.

One thing I've long liked about the American constitutional arrangement is the obligation it puts on the citizenry to rise up and execute their rulers if they become too tyrannical, and that it guarantees that they'll have the tools to do so. If I'm taking over, perhaps I need to consider giving them better guns?
Of course, the rest of the time... Well, we all know the history.

So the options are that I either become more evil and convince them to overthrow me, or that I put up with it. That problem is that my god-name means that I… Doing something counterproductive-. I can't. When I first found out about that limitation I took it a bit to heart, but I'm well used to it now. Pursuing one path rather than another is something that I can do, even if I expect to be defeated. Doing something I know to be stupid…
Constructive Principle Observation
Looks like I'm stuck with it. Maybe I can organise a resistance campaign against myself later?
Eh, human nature can take care of it. Sooner or later, you're going to do something that pisses people off, and they'll inevitably try to rise up...

Ring, message to Lena Luthor. 'How attached are you to your brother?'

Message sent.
Bet that'd be a weird thing to receive out of the blue.

My ring pings me an alert and I look up to see Captain Banks just staring down at the rubble. One of his swords is missing, the cable which it was attached to severed with the end hanging loose.

Project.
Heh, looks like he wasn't completely on board with this. Given that this version of the Last Line seem to be survivors of Metropolis and Doomsday's rampage... This probably looks heartbreakingly familiar.

"Not so edifying-" He looks around, spotting me after a moment. "-when you're the one causing it."

"I read his file. It's fucked up, this whole situation-." He points his sword at me. "Does killing you even get us anything?"
More than likely, conquered by Apokalips.

"The envy of my few surviving enemies. A natty head for your mantle. Though I'm puzzled as to what changed your mind."

"I read the file on that poor bastard. Just some.. kid, and Waller did that to him. Is he even still in there?"
Good to see they have principles, at least. Lines even they won't cross.

I wince as a burst of very high pitched sound makes my teeth vibrate, and I see a flare of green.

"I don't know. Though while we're on the subject, the volunteers who didn't survive could do with your pity, too."
...There could have been more of the Boy? That's another thing on Waller's docket, then.

"Shit."

"Things like that aren't why I'm overthrowing your government, but it does rather damage the moral justification for the loyalist side. Deploying him in a city destroys it and completely eliminates any change of me offering clemency."
I hope they had some method of stopping him planned. Knowing that could be useful right now.

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Rescue civilians and try persuading Adams to disengage."
Given that the boy would turn him into paté, that's probably the best option.

"What about Brannon and Gibson?"

"Brannon knowingly unleashed it. He's a dead man. Gibson's in Scotland. I don't care about him. Do what you like."
...What's the bet Banks ends up trying to do something marvellously heroic and foolish to help stop this?

I fly again. Brannon is trying to shoot down the Batwing, which is viffing and launching smoke-. Does that idiot not understand what happens when you fire giant energy beams in a civilian area? Particularly when the aiming system is a human eyeball and the target is high in the sky?

Drone squadron 1. Hunt and kill.
Yeah, the human eye is not exactly the most stable of firing platforms. Even when focused on something, it jitters. Which produces a lot of scatter at that kind of range.

BOOM!

Squadron dispatched. Warning, quantum event-.
...Oh, shit. Is Nate about to get cracked open? That's one firecracker you don't want going off.

Fuck! I fly as fast as I can towards the latest explosion of rubble, which it turns out is Walker with Adam in his right hand and repeatedly slamming him into a pile to broken bricks. Adam's epidermis is rent through and I can see the non-space inside, while Adam himself is gamely blasting Walker in the face with a continual beam.

It's not doing anything.
Hopefully once the abuse stops, it heals itself quickly. At this point, he may well be handing out superpowers to anyone within a certain range.

Walker is… Something else. Unlike Doomsday he doesn't have beard or sideburn spines, just weirdly huge teeth which protrude from his mouth. Where Doomsday was bald, he has what are either dreadlocks or some sort of head cable, with a glowing green radiation symbol on his forehead. His eyes and spines glow green, and unlike gamma radiation kryptonite radiation can easily penetrate skin. Everyone exposed and not immune to cancer is going to need monthly checks at least.
And yes, it is that dangerous. Remember in the nineties when Lex Luthor wore a Kryptonite Ring? It gave him cancer, and he had to fake his death and get a brain transplant into a clone body to survive.

Hah, listen to me.
Taken To Our Leader
I land, daiklave in a two-handed grip.
Purpose Lends Strength
"Private Walker. I-."
Hey, if you're claiming this world, then of course you're going to want to take care of it.

Adam is tossed aside and Walker is leaping at me. I use my aero-discs to dodge, and-. Relax my telepathic barrier.

**Manhunter.**
Putting a lot of trust in a complete stranger. That's probably going to count for a lot with them.

Walker lands already knowing that he's missed, legs already pushing off the ground to propel him towards me, spurs already within-

Dodge!
Yup. Just because he can't fly doesn't mean he can't jump real good. And with that much muscle pushing a close-to-human-sized body, that's a lot of force.

-slashing distance! I try half-parrying a swing as I desperately keep dodging and-. His spur doesn't even get chipped while my daiklave loses a quarter of its length.

Dodge!
Goddamn. Kryptonian biology is bullshit with its material strength.

He's not leaping or jumping any more. No, he's using his size and speed to keep pressing me, to keep advancing and keep hitting-

A near miss causes the tarmac to explode in a plume of dirt and dust!
And that muscle also translates into a lot of speed. We're talking standing long jumps measured in hundreds of feet.

-at me.

**I hear you. I am providing medical aid-.**
Good. Might need to put a dampener on that unless it's Nate about to lose containment...

**I need you to see if there's-**

Agh! A glancing hit and his spur sliced through the left side of my face.
Focus, Renegade. It's only a scratch.

**-any of Joshua Walker left in there.**

**His mind-.**
Not quite diving into the Joker's head, but I doubt it's pretty in there...

I fire energy pulses at his eyes but not only do they not hurt him but he doesn't even seem to get distracted.

**I know, but I need to know.**
Gonna need something big to do some damage. Probably a good thing Supes isn't here.

A construct platform momentarily removed the fiction between the ground and his feet, causing him to slip. A second's distraction, and I use the opening to grab my mega rod and smack him right on the radiation symbol.

**Then I will try.**
...Great, that probably just made him angry... :confused: Angrier.

**Thank you.**

That knocks him down, but his spines shatter my construct and he rebounds immediately and I'm too close! He grabs my right arm and pulls!
...Welp, time to bust out the 'disarming' jokes, because I suspect Doomsday Strength beats New God resilience.

It is going to take something spectacular to finish this fight, if they can't pull the 'Boom tube to some deserted corner of space' trick. Doomsday and those like him have never been easy to deal with in any universe, much less one as relatively low-powered as this. I still suspect someone isn't making it out of this alive. Let's hope it's not someone we like.
 
That should say 'go'.
Thank you, corrected.
So the Renegade needs to actually conquer a place to improve it directly? That explains why he was playing the less evil conqueror here.
He can't deliberately do a bad job.
Heartening to know that even in the future Renegade's daiklaves might as well be made out of paper mache. Also, "its".
Thank you, corrected.
 
Hmm. Renegade trying to see if he can salvage the poor kid before he goes for the nuclear options.
He is such a dad.
He's a more powerful version of Doomsday.

There should be neither salvag or nuclear option capable of taking him down. Because Doomsday absolutely curbstomped Darkseid and Grayven isn't anywhere near that strong.
 
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Ring, message to Lena Luthor. 'How attached are you to your brother?'
Why bother her? Did the two of you make a deal earlier?
Yes, removing the fiction would leave a dangerously blank page.
Lol! Good one!
Hopefully once the abuse stops, it heals itself quickly. At this point, he may well be handing out superpowers to anyone within a certain range.
Alot of Danner Formulating be useful right now.
Man... The sorry lot that created and unleashed this poor bastard are gonna have seats kept warm for them in Hell.
There's a canon story where there exists a Get Out Of Jail(Hell) Free Ticket. If nothing else I respect Waller for being self-aware enough that she pulled out all the stops to acquire it for herself.
eliminates any change of me offering clemency."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Rescue civilians and try persuading Adams to disengage."
chance
The only complaint about this chapter is his reply didn't start with the words:
"Be a fucking Hero! Rescue civilians and try persuading Adams to disengage"
Also didn't Grayven decide to call her something different last chapter?
 
would it be too antagonistic for Gravy to Boom Tube this 'Walker' to Apokolips? seems like something Gravy could do from a distance, especially if Walker isn't too bright.
Even ignoring the moral problems, when has 'give Doomsday to Darkseid' worked out well?
perhaps 'change' should be 'chance'
Thank you, corrected.
Also didn't Grayven decide to call her something different last chapter?
In his own head, yes. Talking to someone else, that could get confusing.
 
In his own head, yes. Talking to someone else, that could get confusing.

Wasn't he talking to her teammate? They should know that her codename is Sekhmet, no? Or is it that they didn't get codenames here?

Also, Grayven's sword is pretty shite for a weapon that, supposedly, is attached to him and can be imbued with Grayven's soul. I don't begrudge him getting smacked around, it's a Doomsday.

But this is already a copy of a Doomsday-lite, it shouldn't have the insane and adaptive resistances of the real one and I don't recall Doomsday being invulnerable to magic anyway. And is that not what Grayven's word is when he uses his New God powers, a magic weapon?
 
when has 'give Doomsday to Darkseid' worked out well?

well... first, i'm no expert.

but, this isn't Doomsday. he's a person that got beat, in the end, by his sentimentality. so I would say he's a lesser Doomsday, although admittedly a different flavor of Doomsday as well.

however, just going off of the the wiki page on Doomsday, it wouldn't be all that bad. really, the worst outcome would be Darkseid advancing his timetable after being antagonized.

side question, is there a Grayven in this universe, or did Gravy become all Grayvens when he merged with the first one (i hope that makes sense)?
 
"fourth" at minimum, and probably "third- or fourth-hand"

unlike gamma radiation kryptonite radiation can easily penetrate skin
Um... Gamma radiation punches through just about everything. It's alpha radiation that's blocked by skin.

A construct platform momentarily removed the friction between the ground and his feet
"removes" I think.
 
"fourth" at minimum, and probably "third- or fourth-hand"
Um... Gamma radiation punches through just about everything. It's alpha radiation that's blocked by skin.
"removes" I think.
Thank you, corrected.
Wasn't he talking to her teammate? They should know that her codename is Sekhmet, no? Or is it that they didn't get codenames here?
Yes, but that would frame the discussion in a professional context when Grayven wants him to react as a person.
Also, Grayven's sword is pretty shite for a weapon that, supposedly, is attached to him and can be imbued with Grayven's soul. I don't begrudge him getting smacked around, it's a Doomsday.

But this is already a copy of a Doomsday-lite, it shouldn't have the insane and adaptive resistances of the real one and I don't recall Doomsday being invulnerable to magic anyway. And is that not what Grayven's word is when he uses his New God powers, a magic weapon?
He's not Doomsday-lite. Having an actual personality aside, there's no strength difference between him and Doomsday.
 
but, this isn't Doomsday. he's a person that got beat, in the end, by his sentimentality. so I would say he's a lesser Doomsday, although admittedly a different flavor of Doomsday as well.

Even giving Superman to Darkseid goes poorly. Limited damage in that case but still not well. Don't give him any toys.
 

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