Bended (part 16)
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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2nd March
22:58 GMT
On the monitor, Dr Balewa looks visibly uncomfortable as Dr Palmer and Mr O'Brian vanish again. He then turns fully towards the camera.
"Betman. It is not wise to continue to teleport them in this way. They are nothing like as resistant to the magic of the world as a magician such as myself. They will be harmed by it."
Batman nods.
"Understood. We'll make this the last time."
For some very good reasons, the Justice League doesn't put zeta tubes next to nuclear waste storage bunkers, or other places likely to house enriched radioactive material. With Mr Allen out and the Hawks' ship wrecked, the League's mobility is Dr Balewa and the Lanterns. The League has one physicist, and radioactive material isn't his speciality. Most of the League are immune to gamma radiation at anything less than planet-scouring intensity, but not all of them are. The knowledge that any reflective surface might turn into a graser means that Batman, King Orin, Mr Hol, Ms Lance, William and Mr Yao are off the front line and several of them don't have other skills.
"Superman to Watchtower."
A new window appears as Dr Balewa's vanishes.
"Go ahead."
"We found Doctor Phosphorus, but it isn't him."
In the background, the unconscious glowing skeleton man is being lowered into a heavily armoured containment unit. Despite how he looks he isn't actually all that radioactive, though prolonged physical proximity isn't a good idea. I didn't even consider using him for this because he's too mentally unstable, though I suppose there's a chance that the boss might be able to do something for him.
"Good work. Move on to the next site."
There aren't actually all that many superheroes or villains whose powers are radiation-based, for obvious cancer-related reasons. Dr Adam Mann died in his late thirties, his resilience only prolonging his suffering as it protected him from chirurgery but not from his own tumours. Firestorm doesn't exist yet, if he'll ever exist at all. Atomic Skull is still in his containment cell. Aside from that, the League is attempting to check up on mad scientists who specialised in physics.
Until I started preparing for this I didn't realise exactly how much nuclear waste -by which I mean material classified as low-level waste or higher- is getting stored around the world. The League's efforts to check it have mostly been limited to phoning each site and requesting that they check the status of their facilities. Mr O'Brian and Dr Palmer checked Aberrance very carefully when it became clear that the villain team had access to that sort of material, but other than the one thumper and some security footage of the mookbots there was nothing there. Cranius would never have let me use his home in that sort of way.
Other facilities are being cooperative, though I haven't spoken to people at more than a handful. Once they get over the shock of being addressed by Batman and they're assured that it's just a readiness exercise, they usually do a quick visual inspection and report back. Nuclear weapon silos are a bit slower responding, but I think that Batman is assuming that no one on Earth would let me near their nuclear weapons.
They wouldn't. Even Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde, which frankly wouldn't have involved all that much work on their part or involved us having direct contact with the weapons.
I mean, honestly: I have a power ring. If I wanted a nuclear weapon I'd make one myself, and I don't need one because power rings can be far more devastating.
"Black Canary to Watchtower."
No image this time. She and some of the other squishies are in the Hall of Justice, handling communicating with affected parties. Direct communication to the Watchtower would be a bit of a giveaway about the Justice League having a space station.
"Go ahead."
"I've had a call from someone claiming to have taken part in the attack on KordTech Seattle."
Batman glances at me for a second.
"Are they genuine?"
"Can they be genuine?"
"Are you asking me?"
"Yes."
"The villain side is as realistic as I can make it. That includes the possibility of internal disagreements. This could be genuine. It might also not be. I suggest treating it as you would if you received it during an actual mission."
Batman thinks for a moment.
"Watchtower to Lantern Stewart. Black Canary is getting a phone call. I need you to track the source."
"On it."
"Doctor Mist, please do the same."
Dr Balewa nods. "I will try."
"Put them through."
"Who is this? This bettah be someone important, like Superman or something."
"I'm Batman."
"Ah. Cool. I'm Sensite. I got hired to rob that KordTech place, but I didn't know about that… Radiation bomb, or whatever the fuck it was. Half a' my fuckin' crew got fried, an' I wanna help you get the mutherfuckah who did it."
"We won't offer you anything in return."
"Wasn't askin' you to."
"Very well. Who was behind it?"
"I.. don't.. exactly know. Mirror Master hired us, and he wasn't exactly happy about it after it happened… But he's still working for whoever was paying fer it. I think they're Russian, or.. in Russia anyway. He made a joke about getting vodka from the source, and I'm pretty sure I heard people talking in Russian when he was on the phone."
"What happened in Seattle?"
"He wanted to rob it. His boss wanted something from there, an' anything else was a bonus. Some kinda force field thing. I dunno if we were all supposed t' be wearing it when that… Happened. I sure didn't see enough prototypes for everyone. I dunno whether that was Mirror Master fucking up or if the Big Boss told him t' do it, but my best friend just got melted."
"You were definitely there for the radiation shield."
"Well, we got some other shit as well, but yeah."
I think 'Big Boss' just failed a diplomacy check fairly catastrophically. We didn't say in advance that this sort of thing could happen, just that the robots would behave like people with their own motivations. On the other hand, they aren't… Essential to the plan's final stage, if that's how they want to play it.
"Do you have a copy of the plans for the radiation shield?"
"Like, from his server? No, but… One of my things is that I've got a totally accurate recall. I was looking over Mirror Master's shoulder when he was checking the files. I can draw it out in, like, a couple of hours."
"Or Manhunter can take it directly from your mind."
"Fuck off. Ain't no way I'm coming anywhere near you. I'm heading to the toughest nuclear bomb shelter I can find and holding out there until whatever this is gets dealt with. An' I'm keeping the shields I got. You want anything else, you can make me an offer. An' I'm hangin' up now, 'cause I know that green fool is tryin' ta' track me. Call you in an hour."
22:58 GMT
On the monitor, Dr Balewa looks visibly uncomfortable as Dr Palmer and Mr O'Brian vanish again. He then turns fully towards the camera.
"Betman. It is not wise to continue to teleport them in this way. They are nothing like as resistant to the magic of the world as a magician such as myself. They will be harmed by it."
Batman nods.
"Understood. We'll make this the last time."
For some very good reasons, the Justice League doesn't put zeta tubes next to nuclear waste storage bunkers, or other places likely to house enriched radioactive material. With Mr Allen out and the Hawks' ship wrecked, the League's mobility is Dr Balewa and the Lanterns. The League has one physicist, and radioactive material isn't his speciality. Most of the League are immune to gamma radiation at anything less than planet-scouring intensity, but not all of them are. The knowledge that any reflective surface might turn into a graser means that Batman, King Orin, Mr Hol, Ms Lance, William and Mr Yao are off the front line and several of them don't have other skills.
"Superman to Watchtower."
A new window appears as Dr Balewa's vanishes.
"Go ahead."
"We found Doctor Phosphorus, but it isn't him."
In the background, the unconscious glowing skeleton man is being lowered into a heavily armoured containment unit. Despite how he looks he isn't actually all that radioactive, though prolonged physical proximity isn't a good idea. I didn't even consider using him for this because he's too mentally unstable, though I suppose there's a chance that the boss might be able to do something for him.
"Good work. Move on to the next site."
There aren't actually all that many superheroes or villains whose powers are radiation-based, for obvious cancer-related reasons. Dr Adam Mann died in his late thirties, his resilience only prolonging his suffering as it protected him from chirurgery but not from his own tumours. Firestorm doesn't exist yet, if he'll ever exist at all. Atomic Skull is still in his containment cell. Aside from that, the League is attempting to check up on mad scientists who specialised in physics.
Until I started preparing for this I didn't realise exactly how much nuclear waste -by which I mean material classified as low-level waste or higher- is getting stored around the world. The League's efforts to check it have mostly been limited to phoning each site and requesting that they check the status of their facilities. Mr O'Brian and Dr Palmer checked Aberrance very carefully when it became clear that the villain team had access to that sort of material, but other than the one thumper and some security footage of the mookbots there was nothing there. Cranius would never have let me use his home in that sort of way.
Other facilities are being cooperative, though I haven't spoken to people at more than a handful. Once they get over the shock of being addressed by Batman and they're assured that it's just a readiness exercise, they usually do a quick visual inspection and report back. Nuclear weapon silos are a bit slower responding, but I think that Batman is assuming that no one on Earth would let me near their nuclear weapons.
They wouldn't. Even Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde, which frankly wouldn't have involved all that much work on their part or involved us having direct contact with the weapons.
I mean, honestly: I have a power ring. If I wanted a nuclear weapon I'd make one myself, and I don't need one because power rings can be far more devastating.
"Black Canary to Watchtower."
No image this time. She and some of the other squishies are in the Hall of Justice, handling communicating with affected parties. Direct communication to the Watchtower would be a bit of a giveaway about the Justice League having a space station.
"Go ahead."
"I've had a call from someone claiming to have taken part in the attack on KordTech Seattle."
Batman glances at me for a second.
"Are they genuine?"
"Can they be genuine?"
"Are you asking me?"
"Yes."
"The villain side is as realistic as I can make it. That includes the possibility of internal disagreements. This could be genuine. It might also not be. I suggest treating it as you would if you received it during an actual mission."
Batman thinks for a moment.
"Watchtower to Lantern Stewart. Black Canary is getting a phone call. I need you to track the source."
"On it."
"Doctor Mist, please do the same."
Dr Balewa nods. "I will try."
"Put them through."
"Who is this? This bettah be someone important, like Superman or something."
"I'm Batman."
"Ah. Cool. I'm Sensite. I got hired to rob that KordTech place, but I didn't know about that… Radiation bomb, or whatever the fuck it was. Half a' my fuckin' crew got fried, an' I wanna help you get the mutherfuckah who did it."
"We won't offer you anything in return."
"Wasn't askin' you to."
"Very well. Who was behind it?"
"I.. don't.. exactly know. Mirror Master hired us, and he wasn't exactly happy about it after it happened… But he's still working for whoever was paying fer it. I think they're Russian, or.. in Russia anyway. He made a joke about getting vodka from the source, and I'm pretty sure I heard people talking in Russian when he was on the phone."
"What happened in Seattle?"
"He wanted to rob it. His boss wanted something from there, an' anything else was a bonus. Some kinda force field thing. I dunno if we were all supposed t' be wearing it when that… Happened. I sure didn't see enough prototypes for everyone. I dunno whether that was Mirror Master fucking up or if the Big Boss told him t' do it, but my best friend just got melted."
"You were definitely there for the radiation shield."
"Well, we got some other shit as well, but yeah."
I think 'Big Boss' just failed a diplomacy check fairly catastrophically. We didn't say in advance that this sort of thing could happen, just that the robots would behave like people with their own motivations. On the other hand, they aren't… Essential to the plan's final stage, if that's how they want to play it.
"Do you have a copy of the plans for the radiation shield?"
"Like, from his server? No, but… One of my things is that I've got a totally accurate recall. I was looking over Mirror Master's shoulder when he was checking the files. I can draw it out in, like, a couple of hours."
"Or Manhunter can take it directly from your mind."
"Fuck off. Ain't no way I'm coming anywhere near you. I'm heading to the toughest nuclear bomb shelter I can find and holding out there until whatever this is gets dealt with. An' I'm keeping the shields I got. You want anything else, you can make me an offer. An' I'm hangin' up now, 'cause I know that green fool is tryin' ta' track me. Call you in an hour."
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