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

During Anti-Life infrastructure and transportation was destroyed, so they wouldn't be able to get their hands on new chocolate.

Post Anti-Life they're still rebuilding and the transportation may primarily be focused on necessary supplies and foods, like vegetables, not pleasure items like chocolate.


Life Day or The Festival of Light.


Actually it was the Sheeda invasion, isolated ships got picked off first, cargo ships, cruise ships, even small battlegroups of warships got picked off as targets of opportunity, the Sheeda ruined trans Atlantic trade, the anti-life finished it off.
 
What would you even name a holiday celebrating the end of the antilife crisis? Heck, it deserves two days if you ask me. Hmm. Regardless of how many days, once the economy recovers a bit more? Festivals celebrating the Good Day will probably connect every ethnicity and religion around the world. Sounds nice.

Obviously life day. The Star Wars Christmas special finally comes in handy!

Maybe have Chewie as the mascot for the life entity, rather than a bunch of lines in a weirdo symbol
 
Sorry. Did it now because it's evening where I am and I'll be too busy with something else later before I go to bed.
01 – Superman
02 – Batman
03 – Wonder Woman
04 – Flash (Barry Allen)
05 – Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
06 – Aquaman
07 – Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz)
08 – Green Arrow
09 – Hawkman
10 – Hawkwoman
11 – Zatara
12 – Captain Atom (Major Nathaniel Adams)
13 – Black Canary
14 – Green Lantern (John Stewart)
15 – Captain Marvel (William Batson)
16 – Red Tornado (John Smith)
17 – Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)
18 - Icon (Augustus Freeman)
19 - Red Arrow (William Harper)
20 - Accomplished Perfect Physician (Yao Fei)
21 – Doctor Fate (Nabu) (John Quinn) (John Constantine)
22 – Atom (Raymond Palmer)
23 – Plastic Man (Patrick O'Brian)
24 - Blue Lantern (Alan Scott)
25 - Doctor Mist (Nommo Balewa)
26 - Red Rocket (Dmitri Pushkin)
27 – Angelica (Angelica Blaze)
28 - Zauriel
29 - Mister Atom

B01 – Robin (Richard Grayson)
B02 – Aqualad (Kaldur'ahm)
B03 – Kid Flash (Wallace West)
B04 – Superboy (Conner Kent/Kon-El)
B05 – Miss Martian (M'gann M'orzz)
B06 – Orange Lantern (Paul ########)
B07 – Red Arrow (William Harper)
B08 – Artemis (Artemis Crock)
B09 – Zatanna Zatara
B10 – Cornwall Boy (Robert Marrack)
B11 – Rocket (Raquel Ervin)
B12 - Troia (Donna Troy)
B13 – Tempest (Garth)
B14 – Aquagirl (Tula)
B15 - Squire (Beryl Hutchinson)
B16 - Speedy Arsenal (Roy William Harper)
B17 – Canis Minor
B18 - Starfire (it did not test well) / Red Star (Leonid Kovar)
B19 - Osiris (Amon Tomaz)
B20 - Supergirl (Linda Danvers/Noriel)
B21 - Star Sapphire (Ghia'ta)
B22 - Green Lantern (Arisia Rrab)
B23 - Overgirl (Angelika Kant)
B24 - New Supergirl (Kara Jor-El)
B25 - Match (Mitchell Kent)

L-1: Vandal Savage
L-3: Lex Luthor
L-6: Brain (Marcel Durant)
L-9: Boss Smiler
L-10: Savitar
L-11: Circe
 
I thought she went back to Earth-10, so shouldn't she be crossed out?
He also left Doctor Fate in the JL list.

Though I guess Constantine still hasn't found someone to pass the power to, so he's acting as Fate.

It's possible that Angelika still comes to Earth 16, either to keep learning how not to be a Nazi, or because Overman insists on it because he knows violence will break out and he doesn't want her hurt.
 
21 – Doctor Fate (Nabu) (John Quinn) (John Constantine)
Has John Constantine actually acted as a member of the Justice League since returning along with Reformation Island?

That should say 'Smiley'. Have none of the other members actually thought about how a being that desires to slow down humanity's development chose to join their group? I suppose villains aren't always self-aware of what they've become.

Also, I'm a little disappointed this didn't include the Renegade's version of the Light. Did Black Manta officially become a member? Or did he decide upper management isn't for him?
 
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The one time I remember Smiley showing himself to The Light he was wearing the form of Uncle Sam, wasn't he? I believe it was when Truggs got his hand on the H Dial.

Even if he's shown them his true form, why wouldn't he just omit his slowing of humanities progress from any of his talking points?
 
The one time I remember Smiley showing himself to The Light he was wearing the form of Uncle Sam, wasn't he? I believe it was when Truggs got his hand on the H Dial.

Even if he's shown them his true form, why wouldn't he just omit his slowing of humanities progress from any of his talking points?
I'm pretty sure that was Johnny Reb, the Confederate's version of Uncle Sam. It was revealed that he captured the real Uncle Sam some time ago, and Paul only learned he wasn't who he said he was thanks to offhandedly mentioning Uncle Sam to Lady Liberty when he was helping Hephaestean with modernizing the Greek pantheon.
 
I'm pretty sure that was Johnny Reb, the Confederate's version of Uncle Sam. It was revealed that he captured the real Uncle Sam some time ago, and Paul only learned he wasn't who he said he was thanks to offhandedly mentioning Uncle Sam to Lady Liberty when he was helping Hephaestean with modernizing the Greek pantheon.
Yep.

If I remember correctly the last thing Sam remembered was going to Washington to talk to Nixon because he was angry over Watergate.

Guess it weakened him enough that Reb could take him out.

When they took him to the Badlands he was being injected with kauhite, that Hell metal, on the left side of his body, which I'm guessing was weakening or corrupting left wing politics, which would be something the personification of the Confederacy would want.
 
Anarkic (supplementary, Renegade option)
1st May 2013
13:54 GMT +1


Oh.

I feel myself stiffen, and my left hand stops tracing idle circles around Luna's shoulder as she rests atop me.

Oh dear. That's a-

She shifts slightly, her eyes opening tiredly.

-problem.

"And what troubles you this night, beloved? What stirs your thoughts?"

"Celestia."

Her eyes open, then narrow.

"Thou hast best not be thinking of Our Sister in relation to recent events."

I frown in puzzlement. "Of course not: I wasn't flaccid."

Luna stares at me for a moment, sort of exhales-with-a-side-order-of-splutter, then lets her head thump against my chest. And I.. get it. In theory, she'd rather that Celestia and I got on. We're the two most important people in her life, after all. But the younger and less popular sister isn't entirely immune to the idea that perhaps someone involved with her might still prefer to be with Celestia if that was an option, and the fact that I very clearly wouldn't is something she doesn't like that she likes.

"You know… You know I don't like a lot of the way she runs the country, right?"

"Mmuphgm."

"So I just assumed that she wasn't very good at it. But that for various cultural reasons and the obvious practical issue of how the heck you force someone like that out of office, she stayed in post. But…"

I'm a little annoyed it took me this long to put it together.

"I think of Artemis as a New God. And mystically speaking she is. But… When we came back from the Land of Summer's End, I-. I remembered everything. Who everyone was. Where I left the remote control for the television in my living room. She didn't. She couldn't even remember the names of her team mates."

Luna's head comes up a little, a puzzled frown on her forehead. "She is younger than you, is she not? By no small amount."

"Right. But that would help her. Those were the first people who trusted her to fight with them, even knowing the truth of her background. That should have been a formative memory for her. A core part of her godly identity, something that she'd never forget. For me, I'd had other friends and allies. It should have been the other way around, if anything."

"Then why was it not?"

"I don't know for certain. But I wonder… She might be like me mystically, but I am a different species physically. The people of Apokolips have always been long lived. Even the ones who don't get a powerful god-name… Lowlies can live a long time, they just usually don't due to the physical reality of their living conditions."

"You think that your people are naturally able to manage lengthy memories."

"Yeah. I can call to mind any part of my life since I used Father Box to change myself. Not every little detail, but people I interacted with regularly, places I've spent more than a few minutes… And the memories I absorbed from Other Grayven are much the same. I can… Think back, and remember the gordanians who worked on the Absolute Dominion. Their names, which parts they worked on… Like a tree opening out as I focus on a particular thing. Artemis is stuck using a human brain and it sort of works, but things outside of her domain don't appear to stick in the same way."

"What doth that have to do with Our Sister?"

"Ponies usually live about as long as humans, right?"

"Some live longer; Our research has shown that Earth Ponies who study the magics of their tribe can reach the end of their second century."

"But that's something they have to focus on. What we might call the… Biological norm for ponies is eighty years and change. So the pony brain is adapted to that sort of lifespan. But Celestia is over a thousand."

"And..? You think that she may be having..? Problems?"

"It occurred to me that it's possible. It would explain… Some things. I mean, I called her 'calcified' as an insult, but what if it's… Literally true?"

She frowns thoughtfully. "We doubt that. When we have spoken to Our Sister of Our foremost memories, she hath responded unhesitantly. Mayhap you worry for nought?"

"I hope so." I sigh. "But I'd like to give her a scan, just in case. Ask her about things. Is there actually a royal doctor?"

"The palace has physicians, but there is a dearth of millennial alicorns to whom Our Sister could be compared." She sighs, resting her forearms on my chest to prop herself up. "What remedy wouldst you suggest?"

"I'm not sure. There's an… Implant, I've seen a few people use. A quantum wafer implanted in their brains. They use it to store information, basically any amount. That would… Deal with pure data storage issues, but it wouldn't… Help, with integrating new experiences into her character." Hm. "How about Evil Egyptian you and her? They're both a thousand years old, aren't they? And their Sombra, he's about that age too."

"We are… We suppose that there wouldst have been no cause to banish Our Other Self. In truth, We had seen no reason to converse with her since we aided Our Sister's beau, but… We suppose that it may be wise. And a conversation is several degrees less extreme than inserting material into Our brains. Have you suggested that to Artemis?"

"No. Wouldn't work. She heals like I do. Any cybernetic not made from New God technology would get subsumed, and… As I said, we don't need memory augmentations."

"What other choices wouldst we have?"

"Some sort of… Magic technique for expanding your memories into your metaphysique. It would probably require you to improve your command of Earth Pony magic-."

"I?"

"Luna, my love, I will live for a very long time and I wish for you to be there for all of it. This… I could be worrying about nothing, but if it is an issue, then it will become an issue for you eventually."

"And a pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We understand."

"Although… It might not be Earth Pony magic. It might be actual alicorn magic, given how the data would have to encode."

"We have learned few magics which require the power of all three tribes. T'would be interesting to learn one anew."

"I'll… Bring it up with Sunset. She hasn't really studied me in any detail since her ascension. She might be able to find something new."

"And what do you intend to do if it turns out that Our Sister's failings are simply a part of Her character?"

"Record my lessons with Twilight and send them to her for her to review." … "On an unrelated subject, what are Equestria's laws on narcotics?"

"The refined forms of witchweed have long been proscribed, but what hath-?" Her somewhat sleepy brain catches up with her somewhat sleepy mouth. Then her right fist raps me on the nose. "No. You will not drug Our Sister, no matter how funny it might be."

"Understoo-." She raps me again. "Hey!"

"Or by your tongue encourage others to do so on your behalf."

"I won't, I won't. I promise. No mind-altering chemicals without her consent."

"See that you do not." She lowers her fist, looking thoughtful. "It is well that you raised this concern, and pleasing that you at least care enough for Our Sister to want to aid her."

"I always try to improve systems of government. I can't not. You know that. I don't have to like Celestia to want her to be the best she can be."

"In a way, We hope that you are correct in your concerns. It would be well if she could rise to your expectations. Now lie still; We are tired and desire a silent mattress."
 
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Has John Constantine actually acted as a member of the Justice League since returning along with Reformation Island?
No, but the League did the 'he's on a break' thing that they did with Zatara.
When they took him to the Badlands he was being injected with kauhite, that Hell metal, on the left side of his body, which I'm guessing was weakening or corrupting left wing politics, which would be something the personification of the Confederacy would want.
No, it's because the human heart is on the left side of the body.
 
Luna's head comes up a little, a puzzled frown on her forehead. "She is younger than you, is she not? By no small amount."

I mean she's just fifteen years younger than him.

"I don't know for certain. But I wonder… She might be like me mystically, but I am a different species physically

Kinda.

You were basically an enhanced human before the godhood.

Granted, if your body is Actually Grayven's, then you could be a physically different species.

"It occurred to me that it's possible. It would explain… Some things. I mean, I called her 'calcified' as an insult, but what if it's… Literally true?"

She frowns thoughtfully. "We doubt that. When we have spoken to Our Sister of Our foremost memories, she hath responded unhesitantly. Mayhap you worry for nought

It's possible that she just finds it difficult to change.

Even young people could have that problem.
 
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1st May 2013
13:54 GMT +1


Oh.

I feel myself stiffen, and my left hand stops tracing idle circles around Luna's shoulder as she rests atop me.
...Oh, my. What did we arrive into? Let's hope they've finished whatever they were doing for now, and are having that pleasant sort of chat afterwards, the kind when you're in an almost enlightened state of euphoria...

Oh dear. That's a-

She shifts slightly, her eyes opening tiredly.
Ah. Is this going to be one of those 'way too early in the AM' kind of talks? She evidently saw something in his dreams.

-problem.

"And what troubles you this night, beloved? What stirs your thoughts?"
Honestly, she might have a clearer idea of it, but I guess she's giving him a chance to explain himself...

"Celestia."

Her eyes open, then narrow.
Well, to just come out and say it like that... Hopefully if he was imagining comparing them, she came out on top.

"Thou hast best not be thinking of Our Sister in relation to recent events."

I frown in puzzlement. "Of course not: I wasn't flaccid."
😨 Goddamit, Renegade...

Luna stares at me for a moment, sort of exhales-with-a-side-order-of-splutter, then lets her head thump against my chest. And I.. get it. In theory, she'd rather that Celestia and I got on. We're the two most important people in her life, after all. But the younger and less popular sister isn't entirely immune to idea that perhaps someone involved with her might still prefer to be with Celestia if that was an option, and the fact that I very clearly wouldn't is something she doesn't like that she likes.
It took a second to parse that out, but really, she should be happy you prefer her. It's something that Celestia can't have, unless her dates with Negative-Universe Sombra have been going well.

"You know… You know I don't like a lot of the way she runs the country, right?"

"Mmuphgm."
Heh. Cutely embarrassed.

"So I just assumed that she wasn't very good at it. But that for various cultural reasons and the obvious practical issue of how the heck you force someone like that out of office, she stayed in post. But…"

I'm a little annoyed it took me this long to put it together.
I mean, by any normal measure, she should have worked it out inside the first decade.

"I think of Artemis as a New God. And mystically speaking she is. But… When we came back from the Land of Summer's End, I-. I remembered everything. Who everyone was. Where I left the remote control for the television in my living room. She didn't. She couldn't even remember the names of her team mates."
That was a bit worrying. Has anything come of that, or..?

Luna's head comes up a little, a puzzled frown on her forehead. "She is younger than you, is she not? By no small amount."

"Right. But that would help her. Those were the first people who trusted her to fight with them, even knowing the truth of her background. That should have been a formative memory for her. A core part of her godly identity, something that she'd never forget. For me, I'd had other friends and allies. It should have been the other way around, if anything."
Huh. Maybe it's the old human monkey brain limitations kicking in.

"Then why was it not?"

"I don't know for certain. But I wonder… She might be like me mystically, but I am a different species physically. The people of Apokolips have always been long lived. Even the ones who don't get a powerful god-name… Lowlies can live a long time, they just usually don't due to the physical reality of their living conditions."
How long are we talking here? Two centuries? Three? A millennium? Or flat-out physically immortal unless killed, in the case of truly mighty New Gods?

"You think that your people are naturally able to manage lengthy memories."

"Yeah. I can call to mind any part of my life since I used Father Box to change myself. Not every little detail, but people I interacted with regularly, places I've spend more than a few minutes… And the memories I absorbed from Other Grayven are much the same. I can… Think back, and remember the gordanians who worked on the Absolute Dominion. Their names, which parts they worked on… Like a tree opening out as I focus on a particular thing. Artemis is stuck using a human brain and it sort of works, but things outside of her domain don't appear to stick in the same way."
Like a deep-layer, heavily compressed database query using a supercomputer versus a simple terminal. The human brain just doesn't have enough cells to hold all those memories?

"What doth that have to do with Our Sister?"

"Ponies usually live about as long as humans, right?"
...Ohhh, I see where he's going with this.

"Some live longer; Our research has shown that Earth Ponies who studies the magics of their tribe can reach the end of their second century."

"But that's something they have to focus on. What we might call the… Biological norm for ponies is eighty years and change. So the pony brain is adapted to that sort of lifespan. But Celestia is over a thousand."
So unless it's something she's regularly thinking about, it sort of fades away.

"And..? You think that she may be having..? Problems?"

"It occurred to me that it's possible. It would explain… Some things. I mean, I called her 'calcified' as an insult, but what if it's… Literally true?"
More like an overflowing vessel. Her memory so full that bits spill out and drift into oblivion.

She frowns thoughtfully. "We doubt that. When we have spoken to Our Sister of Our foremost memories, she hath responded unhesitantly. Mayhap you worry for nought?"

"I hope so." I sigh. "But I'd like to give her a scan, just in case. Ask her about things. Is there actually a royal doctor?"
Perhaps that focus on you makes her able to hold those memories more easily.

"The palace has physicians, but there is a dearth of millennial alicorns to whom Our Sister could be compared." She sighs, resting her forearms on my chest to prop herself up. "What remedy wouldst you suggest?"

"I'm not sure. There's an… Implant, I've seen a few people use. A quantum wafer implanted in their brains. They use it to store information, basically any amount. That would… Deal with pure data storage issues, but it wouldn't… Help, with integrating new experiences into her character." Hm. "How about Evil Egyptian you and her? They're both a thousand years old, aren't they? And their Sombra, he's about that age too."
That could be an interesting psychological experiment.

"We are… We suppose that there wouldst have been no cause to banish Our Other Self. In truth, We had seen no reason to converse with her since we aided Our Sister's beau, but… We suppose that it may be wise. And a conversation is several degrees less extreme than inserting material into Our brains. Have you suggested that to Artemis?"
Or maybe keeping journals? Though I imagine they'd need to be either very durable or recopied every so often. Paper and ink only lasts so long.

"No. Wouldn't work. She heals like I do. Any cybernetic not made from New God technology would get subsumed, and… As I said, we don't need memory augmentations."

"What other choices wouldst we have?"
Perhaps something arcane, them. Memory crystals of some kind?

"Some sort of… Magic technique for expanding your memories into your metaphysique. It would probably require you to improve your command of Earth Pony magic-."

"I?"

"Luna, my love, I will live for a very long time and I wish for you to be there for all of it. This… I could be worrying about nothing, but if it is an issue, then it will become an issue for you eventually."
Given that technically, she is just shy of a thousand years younger, yes, depending on how active she was during her exile (And how Nightmare Moon interfaced with her brain meats.)

"And a pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We understand."

"Although… It might not be Earth Pony magic. It might be actual alicorn magic, given how the data would have to encode."
Well, that's going to be interesting. And handy, given Sunset's plans to eventually make more Alicorns.

"We have learned few magics which require the power of all three tribes. T'would be interesting to learn one anew."

"I'll… Bring it up with Sunset. She hasn't really studied me in any details since her ascension. She might be able to find something new."
And she's probably going to want to kick herself for not thinking of that.

"And what do you intend to do if it turns out that Our Sister's failings are simply a part of Her character?"

"Record my lessons with Twilight and send them to her for her to review." … "On an unrelated subject, what are Equestria's laws on narcotics?"
...Well, that was sudden. You think she needs to loosen up a little? Relax with some munchies, if you will?

"The refined forms of witchweed have long been proscribed, but what hath-?" Her somewhat sleepy brain catches up with her somewhat sleepy mouth. Then her right fist raps me on the nose. "No. You will not drug Our Sister, no matter how funny it might be."

"Understoo-." She raps me again. "Hey!"

"Or by your tongue encourage other to do so on your behalf."
She knows you very well, Renegade. No technicalities!

"I won't, I won't. I promise. No mind-altering chemicals without her consent."

"See that you do not." She lowers her fist, looking thoughtful. "It is well that you raised this concern, and pleasing that you at least care enough for Our Sister to want to aid her."
...I wonder how human drugs would affect them in human form? It's safe to say there would be worrisome medical issues if they tried them in pony form, after all.

"I always try to improve systems of government. I can't not. You know that. I don't have to like Celestia to want her to be the best she can be."

"In a way, We hope that you are correct in your concerns. It would be well if she could rise to your expectations. Now lie still; We are tried and desire a silent mattress."
Heh. He's a bit too lumpy for that. All those muscles, you know?

Ah, a Renegade subplot for the episode. This should be an entertaining side-trip while OL deals with Anarky (or whatever does end up happening.) It's been a hot minute since last we saw him, and he didn't really do much then... So getting to see him looking into issues that may eventually affect all the Human New Gods he elevated might be interesting.

...isn't entirely immune to idea that perhaps...
...isn't entirely immune to the idea that perhaps...
Our research has shown that Earth Ponies who studies the magics...
Our research has shown that Earth Ponies who study the magics...
She hasn't really studied me in any details since her ascension.
She hasn't really studied me in any detail since her ascension.
"Or by your tongue encourage other to do so on your behalf."
"Or by your tongue encourage others to do so on your behalf."
Now lie still; We are tried and desire a silent mattress."
Now lie still; We are tired and desire a silent mattress."
 
...isn't entirely immune to the idea that perhaps...
Our research has shown that Earth Ponies who study the magics...
She hasn't really studied me in any detail since her ascension.
"Or by your tongue encourage others to do so on your behalf."
Now lie still; We are tired and desire a silent mattress."
Thank you, corrected.
 
"I think of Artemis as a New God. And mystically speaking she is. But… When we came back from the Land of Summer's End, I
Huh. I'd almost forgotten about the land of summer's end Arc.

Did we have ever see any actual fallout from that?
What's Artemis up to now? How did her mother cope with her daughter not recognising her?
Did she leave The Team?
I don't recall at all.
 
Anarkic (part 2)
1st May 2013
08:12 GMT -5


"…you knew him, but I couldn't remember exactly what you said."

Mitchell looks at me hopefully as my stomach sinks. Of all the things I'd hoped to avoid… Honestly, Lonnie Machin putting on motley doesn't actually rate that highly. But I've already got one Nylor Truggs to deal with and I really don't want a second one.

"One moment."

Scan for-. No. Scan for his parents-.

"Oh dear."

"You can't find him?"

"No-. I mean, you're right, I can't find him, but I was expecting that. The problem is that his parents are missing, presumed dead. And with child services as overstretched as they are, it's not exactly surprising that he slipped through the cracks."

Mitchell frowns, concerned about something. "How old is he?"

"Nine."

"Oh."

"Ah." Johanna stares at him pointedly. "Your first supervillain is nearly your age."

Mitchell squirms slightly. "I.. thought his bones look a bit… Thin. I didn't realise he was that young. His voice was a lot deeper."

Not hard for a person of reasonable intelligence to put a voice changer in a mask. "And I'm going to guess that he wore a golden face mask and hat on top of his head so that he looked taller."

Mitchell shrugs. "Sure, but I could see through it, so I knew it wasn't part of him."

"Did you mention that to him?"

"No. I-I thought it was a secret identity thing."

Johanna frowns. "Is this boy dangerous, or can I just put him over my knee?"

"And thus we see the violence inherent in the system."

Johanna shrugs. "It's a job."

"He… Probably isn't physically dangerous, and if… The versions of him I saw in the parallel universes I visited are close matches, then 'putting him over your knee' will just confirm to him that his beliefs are correct. He's… I wasn't expecting him to become active for several years, but I suppose that the Earth's been through the wringer lately."

Johanna looks puzzled. "Why are you talking about a nine year old boy as if he is important?"

"Three groups went into the LexCorp building: one with stealth and a plan, one with guns and the last was a nine year old boy with a spray-painted Guy Fawkes costume. Which one of those is still at large?"

"The one who took off his costume and walked away?"

Hm. Quick check… LexCorps servers might be warded but police servers usually aren't…

"Not according to the external security cameras."

"Those always have blind spots."

"Y-es, but this is LexCorp. One of their important buildings. I'm not saying that a sufficiently skilled person couldn't get out, but it wouldn't be easy, they'd have to know the actual plans beforehand and they'd have to be the most athletic nine year old ever."

Johanna thinks for a moment. "Superpowers?"

"He didn't have any I could detect last time I checked."

"And when was that?"

"About eight months ago. Before the Anti-Life. So plenty of time for him to manifest something or get exposed to something."

Mitchell raises his eyebrows. "Is that what happened to the parallel universe version you met?"

"I didn't meet him, I just got access to the files of a parallel universe version of the Justice League. When he was thirteen he started attacking white collar criminals and sabotaged a construction site where the owner was building an office complex rather than the low cost housing Gotham actually needed."

Mitchell nods, as if something suddenly makes sense. "Gotham."

"And after he got out of the young offender's institution, he built a machine to enhance his intelligence, a boom tube generator and a telepathic broadcast machine that compelled people to be open and honest with one another."

Johanna looks genuinely disturbed by the last one. "And… What was he doing when he was nine?"

"Not a lot. Former classmates said that he could be a bit intense, but I suspect that they were reinterpreting their memories in light of what he did later."

Mitchell frowns. "I thought only New Gods could use boom tubes?"

"No, it's just a device. Their boom tube generators are probably designed to interface with their technology and magic, but there's nothing inherently special about boom tubes. Clarissi Dox was able to make one with his power ring."

Johanna looks at Mitchell. "Did you hear the big bang?"

"No, but… I wasn't listening for it. You get.. bangs in a city." He looks at me with a thoughtful frown. "What does he want?"

"Last time I looked at him, his drives weren't any different from any other socially conscious and unusually intelligent child his age. Based on the character of his alter-egos and his nom de guerre, he wants a state of anarchy: a political situation without leaders."

Johanna frowns. "How does that work?"

"It doesn't."

"Oh. I was expecting something more… Profound."

"It kind of works in a small village or a project with a handful of people where everyone knows each other, but with anything larger or in a situation which needs quick decisions it completely breaks down." I shrug. "An unusually intelligent nine year old is still nine years old. He's never had to work with a group where lives were on the line. Not that the world's leaders have exactly covered themselves in glory recently."

Mitchell nods. "How do you think we should handle him?"

"Take no action until we bump into him, and then try and talk about his situation and help him reason things through. If he's going after LexCorp then I think half the problem is that he hasn't had anyone to talk things through with. Um." I consider him for a moment. "I thought you were taking a step back from costumed adventuring now that the immediate problems were dealt with?"

"I'd.. like to, but I… I think I'm already involved with this one. I've got school today, but-."

"Recognised, Batman, zero two."

We all turn to the zeta tube, Johanna coming to something like attention-.

He's still wearing the ring, I note, his eyes glowing a faint yellow.

"Orange Lantern. Anarky took something from LexCorp. Find out what happened. Find him, and get him into custody before Luthor decides to have him killed."

I nod. "I'll get on that right away, sir."
 
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Mitchell frowns, concerned about something. "How old is he?"

"Nine."

"Oh."

"Ah." Johanna stares at him pointedly. "Your first supervillain is nearly your age."

More like three times his age.

Three groups went into the LexCorp building: one with stealth and a plan, one with guns and the last was a nine year old boy with a spray-painted Guy Fawkes costume. Which one of those is still at large?"

Hey, maybe Lex never anticipated that a nine year old with spray-painted Guy Fawkes costume would do something like that, so he never bothered to make any countermeasure for that.
 
"I didn't meet him, I just got access to the files of a parallel universe version of the Justice League. When he was thirteen he started attacking white collar criminals and sabotaged a construction site where the owner was building an office complex rather than the low cost housing Gotham actually needed."

Mitchell nods, as if something suddenly makes sense. "Gotham."

"And after he got out of the young offender's institution, he built a machine to enhance his intelligence, a boom tube generator and a telepathic broadcast machine that compelled people to be open and honest with one another."
When did this happen? Or is he just saying what he remembers from reading in comics?
 
Based on the character of his alter-egos and his nom de guerre, he wants a state of anarchy: a political situation without leaders."

Johanna frowns. "How does that work?"

"It doesn't."
Well, that's not a very fair assessment of anarchism or political theory behind it, but I suppose it's in character.
 
1st May 2013
08:12 GMT -5


"…you knew him, but I couldn't remember exactly what you said."

Mitchell looks at me hopefully as my stomach sinks. Of all the things I'd hoped to avoid… Honestly, Lonnie Machin putting on motley doesn't actually rate that highly. But I've already got one Nylor Truggs to deal with and I really don't want a second one.
And given how crafty he is in comics, that's entirely likely. Though there's a good chance he isn't that enhanced yet. And really, he is still a pre-teen boy. if OL can find him, he can make peace with him and even recruit him, potentially.

"One moment."

Scan for-. No. Scan for his parents-.
...Ooh, that is a good idea. Given the Anti-Life...

"Oh dear."

"You can't find him?"

"No-. I mean, you're right, I can't find him, but I was expecting that. The problem is that his parents are missing, presumed dead. And with child services as overstretched as they are, it's not exactly surprising that he slipped through the cracks."
...Yeah, that's trouble. And I have the feeling there's more kids out there like him, too...

Mitchell frowns, concerned about something. "How old is he?"

"Nine."
Oh, hell... Still, it's impressive that he's operating solo like that. Some kids that age couldn't find their own ass with both hands...

"Oh."

"Ah." Johanna stares at him pointedly. "Your first supervillain is nearly your age."
...That's not really a bonus, Johanna.

Mitchell squirms slightly. "I.. thought his bones look a bit… Thin. I didn't realise he was that young. His voice was a lot deeper."

Not hard for a person of reasonable intelligence to put a voice changer in a mask. "And I'm going to guess that he wore a golden face mask and hat on top of his head so that he looked taller."
Let's hope he's at least managing to eat healthy. He's clearly surviving, but that's not always enough.

Mitchell shrugs. "Sure, but I could see through it, so I knew it wasn't part of him."

"Did you mention that to him?"
I can't imagine Lonnie wouldn't turn hostile if he realised he was found out...

"No. I-I thought it was a secret identity thing."

Johanna frowns. "Is this boy dangerous, or can I just put him over my knee?"
HEh, now there's an image.

"And thus we see the violence inherent in the system."

Johanna shrugs. "It's a job."
She hasn't seen Monty Python, has she? Or did they not form their troupe here?

"He… Probably isn't physically dangerous, and if… The versions of him I saw in the parallel universes I visited are close matches, then 'putting him over your knee' will just confirm to him that his beliefs are correct. He's… I wasn't expecting him to become active for several years, but I suppose that the Earth's been through the ringer lately."
Understatement of the century there, OL.

Johanna looks puzzled. "Why are you talking about a nine year old boy as if he is important?"

"Three groups went into the LexCorp building: one with stealth and a plan, one with guns and the last was a nine year old boy with a spray-painted Guy Fawkes costume. Which one of those is still at large?"
...I mean, it's like he's a trained ninja.

"The one who took off his costume and walked away?"

Hm. Quick check… LexCorps servers might be warded but police servers usually aren't…
Although I have to think the security footage would be glitchy, given their hacking.

"Not according to the external security cameras."

"Those always have blind spots."
And no doubt Lonnie had the foresight to find out exactly where they were.

"Y-es, but this is LexCorp. One of their important buildings. I'm not saying that a sufficiently skilled person couldn't get out, but it wouldn't be easy, they'd have to know the actual plans beforehand and they'd have to be the most athletic nine year old ever."

Johanna thinks for a moment. "Superpowers?"
A reasonable theory. Unfortunately, there aren't that many reliable empowering methods handy. And random chance...

"He didn't have any I could detect last time I checked."

"And when was that?"
OL has been keeping tabs on him, right? Not in a creepy way, of course, but as a known potential threat?

"About eight months ago. Before the Anti-Life. So plenty of time for him to manifest something or get exposed to something."

Mitchell raises his eyebrows. "Is that what happened to the parallel universe version you met?"
Heh. He hasn't met one. Gotta keep that metaknowledge secret somehow.

"I didn't meet him, I just got access to the files of a parallel universe version of the Justice League. When he was thirteen he started attacking white collar criminals and sabotaged a construction site where the owner was building an office complex rather than the low cost housing Gotham actually needed."
And that explains so much in one word.

Mitchell nods, as if something suddenly makes sense. "Gotham."

"And after he got out of the young offender's institution, he built a machine to enhance his intelligence, a boom tube generator and a telepathic broadcast machine that compelled people to be open and honest with one another."
...Like you do. That still seems rather impressive for a maybe-fourteen-year-old.

Johanna looks genuinely disturbed by the last one. "And… What was he doing when he was nine?"

"Not a lot. Former classmates said that he could be a bit intense, but I suspect that they were reinterpreting their memories in light of what he did later."
Though i suspect if they'd noticed, he would have come off more as a future school-shooter, not a super-villain.

Mitchell frowns. "I thought only New Gods could use boom tubes?"

"No, it's just a device. Their boom tube generators are probably designed to interface with their technology and magic, but there's nothing inherently special about boom tubes. Clarissi Dox was able to make one with his power ring."
Not that he really did anything with it, did he? After all, the Reach and Grayven's forces probably have countermeastures...

Johanna looks at Mitchell. "Did you hear the big bang?"

"No, but… I wasn't listening for it. You get.. bangs in a city." He looks at me with a thoughtful frown. "What does he want?"
...Not that loud or close. Oh hell... Did Lonnie make a Hush Tube this time?

"Last time I looked at him, his drives weren't any different from any other socially conscious and unusually intelligent child his age. Based on the character of his alter-egos and his nom de guerre, he wants a state of anarchy: a political situation without leaders."

Johanna frowns. "How does that work?"
Sadly, Humans lack the innate altruistic nature to make such an idea work.

"It doesn't."

"Oh. I was expecting something more… Profound."
People are just too naturally inwardly-focused, too selfish to be able to operate that way.

"It kind of works in a small village or a project with a handful of people where everyone knows each other, but with anything larger or in a situation which needs quick decisions it completely breaks down." I shrug. "An unusually intelligent nine year old is still nine years old. He's never had to work with a group where lives were on the line. Not that the world's leaders have exactly covered themselves in glory recently."
It makes sense, honestly. He's never worked with more than a group of classmates, has he? He has a child's view of how the world should work, and seeing the adults messing it up, as he sees it... Well.

Mitchell nods. "How do you think we should handle him?"

"Take no action until we bump into him, and then try and talk about his situation and help him reason things through. If he's going after LexCorp then I think half the problem is that he hasn't had anyone to talk things through with. Um." I consider him for a moment. "I thought you were taking a step back from costumed adventuring now that the immediate problems were dealt with?"
OL doesn't know about Mitchell's plan towards Lex, does he?

"I'd.. like to, but I… I think I'm already involved with this one. I've got school today, but-."

"Recognised, Batman, zero two."
I think the school is accustomed to students taking days off, these days.

We all turn to the zeta tube, Johanna coming to something like attention-.

He's still wearing the ring, I note, his eyes glowing a faint yellow.
And that is still awesome. Worrying, but awesome.

"Orange Lantern. Anarky took something from LexCorp. Find out what happened. Find him, and get him into custody before Luthor decides to have him killed."

I nod. "I'll get on that right away, sir."
Well, no time to play nice with Lonnie, then.

So the Team has a mission, all official-like, to find and recover Lonnie. And Enginehead, not that they know that's what he stole. The trick will be finding him, since he's almost certainly keeping himself slathered in scry wards. This might well take actual detective work, especially if he's acquired a Boom or Hush tube system...
 
I do love this consequence of the Illustres' actions. Batman with Power Ring sounds amazing and terrifying, without taking into consideration that it's a Yellow one. And I'm almost certain that at this point he probably already reviewed all the training Paul did with the Greenies and is integrating that into his arsenal.

Hopefully Anarchy doesn't accomplish much with whatever he can get from Enginehead, before they catch him. I really dislike that character.
 
Based on the times, it took Batman twenty-four minutes to reach the Mountain after Mr Atom ended his call with OL. Batman, and his fabled prep time. He will never leave vulnerabilities open around Paul.

I don't think Batman is going to become another Nabu. I don't think that his feelings and the Flash's leave from work will contribute to a future plot line though. The fact that the League is showing cracks and the world is dependent on their currency? They don't have the foundation required for a Justice League Unlimited structure, as Paul previously wanted. Hmm, or maybe Paul will be distinctly treated like Constantine, a lightning rod for suffering.

Maybe this will tie back into Paul's involvement with Devil Jizz and the infernal realm? Lots of options.
 

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