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

Mr Zoat · Monday at 10:25 PM

Duke Long said:
'but I have'?
'Shows'?

Thank you, corrected.

Vaermina · Monday at 10:55 PM

Mr Zoat said:
That says 'supervillain', but I can't really think of any Gotham supervillains who do brain alterations.

Mr Zoat said:
Match found. Jervis Tetch.

Okay, I was willing to give this a pass before because it semi-obscure stuff that he was missing.

But the Mad Hatter is a big enough Batman Rogue that there's no way Orange Lantern would just forget his existence without someone messing with his head.

rthomas2 · Monday at 11:34 PM

Darko said:
They posted in the story only thread.

Oh dammit, whoops.

Mr Zoat said:
I recall that a primary school teacher of mine once remarked that supply teachers generally only learned the name of the badly behaved children.

@rthomas2, I fear that I recognised your name.

Oh. I'm…really sorry about that.

If I've been a pain, I'd be happy to not post again. Really love the story and the community, and I'd rather not keep being memorable specifically for making your time feel worse

Ngamer11 · 2025-05-06T02:33:03+0100

Vaermina said:
But the Mad Hatter is a big enough Batman Rogue that there's no way Orange Lantern would just forget his existence without someone messing with his head.

Mad Hatter was B-tier at most, maybe C-tier.

Vaermina · 2025-05-06T04:32:28+0100

Ngamer11 said:
Mad Hatter was B-tier at most, maybe C-tier.

Only if you consider the Joker the only A tier Batman villain.

Mr Zoat · 2025-05-06T06:12:49+0100

rthomas2 said:
Oh dammit, whoops.

Oh. I'm…really sorry about that.

If I've been a pain, I'd be happy to not post again. Really love the story and the community, and I'd rather not keep being memorable specifically for making your time feel worse

Don't be daft. I'm exaggerating for comedic effect, not because I actually want you to stop posting. Just remember to do so on this thread in future.

Mr Zoat · 2025-05-06T06:14:35+0100

10th July 2013
10:26 GMT -5

"Robin, have you gotten anywhere..? Tracking down Jervis Tetch?"

"Not really. But that's not unusual. Even the real crazies can go to ground when they think they've been spotted. You asking for a reason, or just checking up on it?"

"I've found a machine, and a few of his hairs. I was hoping to ask him about it."

"What's it do?"

"According to the last person to use it, it fuses the hemispheres of the human brain together."

"That.. doesn't sound safe. Did they use it on themselves?"

"Yes."

"Okay… Oh El? I'm gunna need you to step away-"

I roll my eyes. "Oh har har."

"-from the brain machine."

"I couldn't use it anyway. My rings would reset my brain afterwards."

"I'm pretty sure that would make you more likely to use it."

"I admit, I have wondered what a delateralised brain would be like. I remember reading in a psychology textbook from my original parallel that a small percentage of the population are just born like that, but the article didn't have any information on how that changed the way it processed input. If-."

"Are you stepping away, or am I calling Blue Lantern?"

I dutifully take a step backwards.

"I have stepped away. Do you want this machine, or would it be better to hand it to Theodore Kord?"

"I'm not actually a brain surgeon, Oh El. I could take a look at the control software, but that's about it. Kord… Ah… Great, now I'm worried about him using it."

"It's fine. I'll take a scan of his brain before I leave. Do you think he built it?"

"I don't think Kord would just leave things like that lying around. Then again, he did make an invisible psychic chimpanzee, so who knows?"

"No. Tetch. I've got the League's records on what he's built, but I don't really have a feel for what his capacities are. Is it just mind control hats, or does he have a general understanding of mind machine interfaces?"

"I dunno, Oh El. He was a neuroscientist before he went crazy. He might have the skills. It's not the kinda thing he usually makes, but we've only seen samples of his mind control hats. If he's been studying how to make other things and then not using them… We wouldn't know about it. Can you tell how old it is?"

I know when this bank closed down, but if they were moving valuables out before that or rented the space…

"The newest component was first released three years ago. Anything else would be guesswork on my part."

"It's better than nothing. You got a parts list?"

"Sending now. Was he doing anything three years ago?"

"Don't know. I think… Gimme a sec… Yeah. Batman tricked him into putting on one of his own hats and he ended up in a coma. He broke out of hospital after about a month. We didn't see him for a while after that." He sighs. "We get used to them having patterns, being predictable. But his hats don't really leave any sign unless you know exactly what you're looking for."

"So if he mind controlled people who weren't blonde girls or other Alice in Wonderland characters, if he decided to be subtle… Then we wouldn't know about it."

"I'll go through the logs of the companies that sell this stuff. See if I can find where he got it from."

I consider offering to do that, then realise that they're probably warded, or… Written. He might have to… Speak to people by telephone like some sort of caveman.

"Thank you."

"Where are you, anyway?"

"Blüdhaven."

"It's in the right place. But…"

"What?"

"Tetch might commit a crime that doesn't relate to hats, but I don't think he could just do something else. Alice in Wonderland is his whole world."

"So this has..? Got to have something to do with Alice in Wonderland, even if it's not immediately obvious?"

"I think so. Our crazy people… They're kinda unique. Is there any New God stuff laying around?"

I take another look. "Not that I can see."

"This might not even have anything to do with the other thing he was working on. Kai's brain wasn't delateralised, was it?"

"No." … "Is there a link between delateralised brains, Justifier helmets and Alice in Wonderland that I'm not seeing?"

"If there is, I can't see it either." He sighs. "This is what cases in Gotham used to be like."

"Maybe this could be a bonding activity for you and Batwoman?"

"… Yeah. It could."

"Problem?"

"She's helping Batman with something. I haven't seen her for a couple of days."

"Are you there on your own?"

"No, my uncle's here. And so's Alfred. I guess it's something to do with the reconstruction legislation."

Ah… That might explain…

I mean, it's worrying that she has so much influence despite not being a member of the Justice League, but it's exactly the sort of thing I could see her doing to give Batman control of the world even if he didn't particularly want it.

"I hope so. Thanks, Robin. That's actually a load off my mind."

"Ah… Why?"

"I've seen the final wording of the legislation, and it's disconcertingly permissive. But if it's just Batwoman trying to make Batman King of the World without anyone noticing then it's just business as usual."

"How permissive are we talking?"

"I-can't-talk-about-the-Justice-League-taking-over-the-world permissive. I'll drop off a printed copy after I give this machine to Ted. Let me know if you see any sign of Tetch."

"Will do. Robin out."

RichardWhereat · 2025-05-06T06:36:00+0100

Aww, that's sweet of her. I now approve of her as his wife. I had been hoping she'd die and Selina would sub in.

Lord Ernest · 2025-05-06T06:43:45+0100

RichardWhereat said:
Aww, that's sweet of her. I now approve of her as his wife. I had been hoping she'd die and Selina would sub in.

Personally, I'm just hoping for Damian to come out of it, the tyke really grew on me. It's taking a bit longer than I expected but maybe because there has been so many disaster events that they haven't had the time.

RichardWhereat · 2025-05-06T06:59:31+0100

Lord Ernest said:
Personally, I'm just hoping for Damian to come out of it, the tyke really grew on me. It's taking a bit longer than I expected but maybe because there has been so many disaster events that they haven't had the time.

Hopefully he's not given a supervillain name though.

SilentObserver · 2025-05-06T07:04:07+0100

Mr Zoat said:
or do I calling Blue Lantern?

*call

Mr Zoat said:
I admit, I have wondered what a delateralised brain would be like

*I'll

Chojin Patriarch · 2025-05-06T07:09:49+0100

Mr Zoat said:
10th July 2013
10:26 GMT -5

"Robin, have you gotten anywhere..? Tracking down Jervis Tetch?"

"Not really. But that's not unusual. Even the real crazies can go to ground when they think they've been spotted. You asking for a reason, or just checking up on it?"

Ah, good, he's not running off on his own to look for Hatter. Instead, he uses his best superpower: Friendship! Certainly, the League could keep an eye out for one crazy Batman rogue better than him by himself.

"I've found a machine, and a few of his hairs. I was hoping to ask him about it."

"What's it do?"

Very important to establish that. We still can't be sure he built it or if it's coincidental. Admittedly, the evidence is fairly solid, but...

"According to the last person to use it, it fuses the hemispheres of the human brain together."

"That.. doesn't sound safe. Did they use it?"

"Yes."

...And OL left him running around unsupervised. Lonnie is probably rushing through packup as we speak and relocating.

"Okay… Oh El? I'm gunna need you to step away-"

I roll my eyes. "Oh har har."

"-from the brain machine."

Hey, this alt!Paul isn't the sort to go using augmentations unwisely.

"I couldn't use it anyway. My rings would reset my brain afterwards."

"I'm pretty sure that would make you more likely to use it."

True, being able to restore to previous versions would make him more likely. Which makes his self-control all the more impressive.

"I admit, I have wondered what a delateralised brain would be like. I remember reading in a psychology textbook from my original parallel that a small percentage of the population are just born like that, but the article didn't have any information on how that changed the way it processed input. If-."

...OL, getting off-mission there. Focus on the objective, not the waffle.

"Are you stepping away, or do I calling Blue Lantern?"

I dutifully take a step backwards.

Honestly, his friends know him so well...

"I have stepped away. Do you want this machine, or would it be better to hand it to Theodore Kord?"

"I'm not actually a brain surgeon, Oh El. I could take a look at the control software, but that's about it. Kord… Ah… Great, now I'm worried about him using it."

...And now we all are. Let's not do that, shall we?

"It's fine. I'll take a scan of his brain before I leave. Do you think he built it?"

"I don't think Kord would just leave things like that lying around. Then again, he did make an invisible psychic chimpanzee, so who knows?"

That was an accident, I'm pretty sure. The drawback of trying too many things on the one subject. ...Which isn't helping his case at all.

"No. Tetch. I've got the League's records on what he's built, but I don't really have a feel for what his capacities are. Is it just mind control hats, or does he have a general understanding of mind machine interfaces?"

"I dunno, Oh El. He was a neuroscientist before he went crazy. He might have the skills. It's not the kinda thing he usually makes, but we've only seen samples of his mind control hats. If he's been studying how to make other things and then not using them… We wouldn't know about it. Can you tell how old it is?"

Huh. That's actually accurate to his history. It's easy to forget that given his 'creepy little man' appearance.

I know when this bank closed down, but if they were moving valuables out before that or rented the space…

"The newest component was first released three years ago. Anything else would be guesswork on my part."

So there's no telling how long he's been working on this. Could have started sometime after OL arrived on Earth, or it could have just been looted stuff during Anti-Life.

"It's better than nothing. You got a parts list?"

"Sending now. Was he doing anything three years ago?"

That's about typical time-gaps of comic-book appearances these days. Usually when a new writer hits a book and wants to play with obscure bad guys...

"Don't know. I think… Gimme a sec… Yeah. Batman tricked him into putting on one of his own hats and he ended up in a coma. He broke out of hospital after about a month. We didn't see him for a while after that." He sighs. "We get used to them having patterns, being predictable. But his hats don't really leave any sign unless you know exactly what you're looking for."

...That's interesting. I wonder if the exposure to his own tech did something to realign him?

"So if he mind controlled people who weren't blonde girls or other Alice in Wonderland characters, if he decided to be subtle… Then we wouldn't know about it."

"I'll go through the logs of the companies that sell this stuff. See if I can find where he got it from."

Good, get the investigators on it.

I consider offering to do that, then realise that they're probably warded, or… Written. He might have to… Speak to people by telephone like some sort of caveman.

"Thank you."

Oh, no. Human interaction, OL. How terrible.

"Where are you, anyway?"

"Blüdhaven."

"It's in the right place. But…"

Deserted enough not to draw attention, yes. But not so far from Gotham to make it inconvenient to visit.

"What?"

"Tetch might commit a crime that doesn't relate to hats, but I don't think he could just do something else. Alice in Wonderland is his whole world."

Sadly, some rogues do get too attached to their themes. It gets sad when they have to stretch a connection to what they're doing.

"So this has..? Got to have something to do with Alice in Wonderland, even if it's not immediately obvious?"

"I think so. Our crazy people… They're kinda unique. Is there any New God stuff laying around?"

...Good question. You'd think it would be obvious, even with scans, but...

I take another look. "Not that I can see."

"This might not even have anything to do with the other thing he was working on. Kai's brain wasn't delateralised, was it?"

Kai... ~~Oh, right, the OMAC~~. ~~And wasn't there neurological enhancement tech adjacent to him, too? Not the same sort, and not something he'd been exposed to other than committed to guarding~~... EDIT: Disregard that OMAC comment. Too many characters, too much brainrot.

@Duke Long explained it better than me below.

"No." … "Is there a link between delateralised brains, Justifier helmets and Alice in Wonderland that I'm not seeing?"

"If there is, I can't see it either." He sighs. "This is what cases in Gotham used to be like."

I mean, the Alice novels were kind of trippy. But mostly it was just satire and absurdism.

"Maybe this could be a bonding activity for you and Batwoman?"

"… Yeah. It could."

Bonus! I'm sure she'd enjoy the challenge of tracking down Tetch.

"Problem?"

"She's helping Batman with something. I haven't seen her for a couple of days."

...Well, that isn't significant at all, I'm sure.

"Are you there on your own?"

"No, my uncle's here. And so's Alfred. I guess it's something to do with the reconstruction legislation."

Huh, that's a reasonable possibility. Albeit a potentially worrying one.

Ah… That might explain…

I mean, it's worrying that she has so much influence despite not being a member of the Justice League, but it's exactly the sort of thing I could see her doing to give Batman control of the world even if he didn't particularly want it.

Honestly, that makes it more relatable. A simple supervillain plan, even if she's nominally reformed.

"I hope so. Thanks, Robin. That's actually a load off my mind."

"Ah… Why?"

Ah, Robin. All too aware that a happy OL is a troublesome OL...

"I've seen the final wording of the legislation, and it's disconcertingly permissive. But if it's just Batwoman trying to make Batman King of the World without anyone noticing then it's just business as usual."

"How permissive are we talking?"

I'm guessing he's been too busy to read it. After all, he's still a kid, more or less.

"I-can't-talk-about-the-Justice-League-taking-over-the-world permissive. I'll drop of a printed copy after I give this machine to Ted. Let me know if you see any sign of Tetch."

"Will do. Robin out."

Do tell Ted not to use it on anyone, though? Not even himself? Just to be careful?

Well, at least things are getting interesting. Robin looking at the text might get other also taking a look and getting concerned. Ted getting his hands on this device... Could be a worry, unless he can resist the urge to poke the weird science. And Tetch getting identified for this does bring us back in line with the episode title.

HearthBorn · 2025-05-06T07:32:47+0100

Mr Zoat said:
I'll drop of a printed copy

off, not of. Loving the story, thanks!

BR549 · 2025-05-06T07:41:05+0100

Mr Zoat said:
"Are you stepping away, or do I calling Blue Lantern?"

This should either be 'do I call' or 'am I calling', I believe.

Neruz · 2025-05-06T07:48:24+0100

Talia trying to sneak one past and (almost) getting away with it because everyone else is too busy trying to pick up the pieces of the world to notice her adjustments to specific wording does make more sense than Batman doing it on the sly.

Duke Long · 2025-05-06T08:00:29+0100

Mr Zoat said:
"According to the last person to use it, it fuses the hemispheres of the human brain together."

"That.. doesn't sound safe. Did they use it?"

"Yes."

"Okay… Oh El? I'm gunna need you to step away-"

Robin asks if they used it, even though Oh El just said they used it. Maybe the first sentence should be something like 'According to the person who told me about it,'?

Mr Zoat said:
I consider offering to do that, then realise that they're probably warded, or… Written. He might have to… Speak to people by telephone like some sort of caveman.

Ha.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Kai... Oh, right, the OMAC. And wasn't there neurological enhancement tech adjacent to him, too? Not the same sort, and not something he'd been exposed to other than committed to guarding...

No, wasn't that Buddy Blank? I can't remember if that was his real name or just the best they could find as a name. Kai was a random (?) victim of Tetch who was controlled using his Justifier helmet which he didn't want to hand in to the Justice League. The only link between him and the OMAC is through Tetch making the machine, which links both to Anarky (who used the machine and is somehow involved with the OMAC) and to the other machine you mention in the double-secret base in Hub City, though I can't remember whether Anarky actually built that machine himself.

Mr Zoat · 2025-05-06T08:27:02+0100

SilentObserver said:
*call

Thank you, corrected.

*I'll

I think that's correct.

HearthBorn said:
off, not of. Loving the story, thanks!

Thank you for correcting it!

Duke Long said:
Robin asks if they used it, even though Oh El just said they used it. Maybe the first sentence should be something like 'According to the person who told me about it,'?

Thank you, corrected.

AmericanNumbers · 2025-05-06T08:56:32+0100

I mean, I've been thinking it's Talia being proactive from the go but I thought it was too obvious.

Bud-E · 2025-05-06T11:03:50+0100

Talia being the one to make the new Legislation makes a good deal of sense. Paul definitely could have fixed this problem if he had just spoken to Batman. Also, since Talia is Batwoman, will Kate Kane call herself a different name, or maybe not be a superhero at all?

Steelplaza · 2025-05-06T13:01:19+0100

This arc is starting to remind of the build-up to the Anti-Life arc with the Alliance of the Just where there were a lot of little signs of things going wrong, and then everything exploded all at once.

The meeting with Batman gets more ominous every update spent building up to it.

Mr Zoat · 2025-05-06T13:11:05+0100

Bud-E said:
Also, since Talia is Batwoman, will Kate Kane call herself a different name, or maybe not be a superhero at all?

Since there's no longer a problem with her being homosexual in the military, I imagine that she'll stay there.

Stsword · 2025-05-06T13:41:16+0100

Hmm, speaking of Batwoman I'm reminded of a rather obscure one- Kingdom Come Batwoman.

A New God who was inspired by Batman who rides her bat winged giant canine Ace into battle.

Also, she's from Apokalips.

Maybe I'm just amused by the idea of Batman's memetic scary reputation inspiring someone all the way to Mordor in SPACE...ACE...ACE.

Perhaps Gravy could run into her some time.

CrazyNoVa · 2025-05-06T14:56:00+0100

Stsword said:
Hmm, speaking of Batwoman I'm reminded of a rather obscure one- Kingdom Come Batwoman.

A New God who was inspired by Batman who rides her bat winged giant canine Ace into battle.

Also, she's from Apokalips.

Maybe I'm just amused by the idea of Batman's memetic scary reputation inspiring someone all the way to Mordor in SPACE...ACE...ACE.

Perhaps Gravy could run into her some time.

Hopefully with a less stupid costume, if that's the case. I'm sorry, but a bright yellow jumpsuit with giant Mickey Mouse ears is about as far as you can get from "intimidating". If she was trying to imitate Batman's style, she missed by a wide mile.

rthomas2 · 2025-05-06T16:32:50+0100

Mr Zoat said:
Don't be daft. I'm exaggerating for comedic effect, not because I actually want you to stop posting. Just remember to do so on this thread in future.

Ah good, thanks. I'd hoped so, but I'm a bit too used to things being daft these days.

…I suppose this is some of what's meant by "separated by a common language".

Vaermina · 2025-05-06T23:02:21+0100

Mr Zoat said:
"She's helping Batman with something. I haven't seen her for a couple of days."

This should be a giant red flag.

Mr Zoat · 2025-05-07T06:10:47+0100

6th March 2025
11:48 GMT -5

Purple Invincible looks mildly put out at the small size of the gathering. "This is it?

The Invincible dressed like a classical viltrumite -moustache included- shrugs. "They've got a sonic weapon that disables viltrumites. They don't need to be stronger than us to take us down if we can't fight back."

"How did you find out about it, then?"

"They couldn't fly. I went up until I got out of the atmosphere; no sound up there. Then I met up with Gay Invincible and his boyfriend gave me ear plugs."

Purple looks my way. "Got any more?"

I take a couple out of subspace and float them over.

"Thanks." He puts them in his ears, while an Invincible in bulky white armour decides to put his helmet back on.

"Okay, I'm going to say it." Armour Invincible raises his right arm and generates a holographic representation of the Earth. "This is a bust."

Invincible sneers at him. "You must be one of the weak ones."

"No, just the smartest." A series of red dots appear on the image. "These are the cities reduced to rubble and corpses."

Moustache Invincible smiles. "And I'm falling behind while I'm stuck here listening to you. What's your point?"

"And these-" Dozens of black dots appear. "-are dead Invincibles. You see how there are more dead Invincibles than dead cities?"

An Invincible wearing just a thong nods. "I guess that's what happens when you attack a planet completely openly with no plan and with people who refuse to cooperate with each other."

The other Invincibles stare at him.

He smiles. "I'm pretty sure that makes me the smartest."

Invincible shakes his head. "No, I'm the smartest because I brought backup I could trust to back me up."

I raise my right hand, and wave.

Moustache Viltrumite Invincible frowns. "Is it me, or are we sounding a lot like the Mauler Twins right now?"

"Jesus." / "Shut up." / "No way!"

"Yes we are, and as I was saying-" Armour Invincible points at the hologram. "-'Team' Invincible -and I use that term very loosely- is getting creamed. I don't know what Angstrom offered the rest of you, but as far as I'm concerned the chance of dying is too high for it to be worth completing the contract. It's time to quit."

Purple smirks. "And how were you planning on doing that? He's the one who opens interdimensional portals."

"If we can't take one guy, we don't deserve to call ourselves 'Invincible'."

"So…" Invincible holds up his victim. "I can just toss this guy back?"

"No." Armour Invincible shuts down his hologram. "He's got a weird fixation with this universe's Invincible. I don't mind fighting Angstrom, but at this point I'll take a portal back home. It's a radioactive mess, but it's my radioactive mess."

That gets my attention. "I beg your pardon, but would you mind explaining that?"

"Some sort of last resort failsafe thing. Dad and I conquered the world, then all the nukes went off."

"Oh."

"It's not that bad; the radiation will wear off in another five years or so, and there were people in bunkers and isolated areas who are still alive. Five years is nothing to a viltrumite, really. But the Grand Regent was pretty pissed so we're both stuck there until we fix it. I only came here because I wanted samples of extinct animals. I don't wanna spend the next century surviving on rats and cockroaches."

Purple looks around. "So is he coming, or-?"

Ssshnnng.

A glowing green portal opens a short distance from us… And there's the man himself. Cape, a head that would make The Leader ask 'are you okay?', two glowing blue force fields to stand on and a small retinue of spy drones… So they can be sure of getting his good side? I've got no idea who he's recording for.

"Have you all given up already?"

"Look." Armour Invincible holds up his right arm and projects… A series of holograms showing smashed and burned cities. "You wanted us to wreck the place, we wrecked the place. He-" He points to Invincible. "-even got the Invincible you've got a weird hard-on for."

Moustache Invincible raises an eyebrow. "Swearing doesn't make you cool."

"I wish I was swearing. This armour has multiphasic scanners. Human blood shows up in infrared."

All the Invincibles moue, eyes flicking briefly to Angstrom's crotch. I… Remove our sacrificial victim from Invincible and float him over to Angstrom.

Invincible looks a little unwell. "You're just going to kill him, right? That's what I thought this was about. I get wanting revenge, but-."

"THIS IS ABOUT REVENGE! HE TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!"

"Ah, I don't think he did." Moustache Invincible shakes his head. "I checked the G.D.A.'s records. All he did was-."

Ssshnnng. / Ssshnnng.

A portal opens and a torrent of spy drones surge through, battering Moustache Invincible and knocking him backwards towards another portal! Thong Invincible floats away looking mildly uncomfortable as Moustache Invincible tries punching his way free of the stream of flying robots. They aren't strong enough to hurt him or tough enough to survive his hits but there are a lot of them and they're each imparting a small amount of kinetic energy. I have no idea where that portal goes, but I doubt that it's anywhere nice.

Moustache Invincible appears to realise that as well. He drops down, ducking under the drone stream and accelerating-

Ssshnnng.

-towards a new portal. He dodges it with an aileron roll, but-

Ssshnnng.

-another portal opens and a new stream of drones hit him in the stomach and send him upwards.

Armour Invincible has a finger hovering over a new button on his vambrace, but isn't acting yet. Moustache jukes around the new swarm and darts towards Angstrom, who-

Ssshnnng.

-opens a new portal. Moustache… Makes a show of not being able to stop in time and then stops dead right next to it, ducking behind it so that Angstrom can't see him.

"Hah!" Angstrom leaves the portal where it is, having his drones grab the recumbent Invincible from me and hold him up. "And I'll do the SAME AGAIN to ANYONE who lies about what he did to me. And as for you…"

He stares at the unresponsive Invincible with… A disturbing level of desire.

"Your world burns. And it's your face they associate with it! My vengeance is nearly compl-."

His eyes bulge as he chokes, and I'm moving as the capsule of ipecac syrup Rae just dropped in his stomach opens, the contents of his digestive tract violently evacuating as I flash behind him and-

"Assimilate."

Ngamer11 · 2025-05-07T06:23:48+0100

Mr Zoat said:
"Have you all give up already?"

That should say 'given'.

Mr Zoat said:
"Look." Armour Invincible holds up his right arm and projects… A series of holograms showing smashed and burned cities. "You wanted us to wreck the place, we wrecked the place. He-" He points to Invincible. "-even got the Invincible you've got a weird hard-on for."

Moustache Invincible raises an eyebrow. "Swearing doesn't make you cool."

"I wish I was swearing. This armour has multiphasic scanners. Human blood shows up in infrared."

I hope someone remarks upon this in the next segment.

Mr Zoat said:
"Assimilate."

I really want to see everyone's reactions to this ability.

Mr Zoat · 2025-05-07T06:32:07+0100

Ngamer11 said:
That should say 'given'.

Thank you, corrected.

NightmareWarden · 2025-05-07T06:51:02+0100

Oh. That's the stuff from one of the grosser Family Guy skits, isn't it? Foul choice, but sensible on someone with great brainpower.

Chojin Patriarch · 2025-05-07T06:52:01+0100

Mr Zoat said:
6th March 2025
11:48 GMT -5

Purple Invincible looks mildly put out at the small size of the gathering. "This is it?

The Invincible dressed like a classical viltrumite -moustache included- shrugs. "They've got a sonic weapon that disables viltrumites. They don't need to be stronger than us to take us down if we can't fight back."

Well, there is a certain measure of necessary force to harm you, given your durability. But generally, if they have a strong guy or someone with a sharp enough or powerful enough weapon, it's only a matter of time.

"How did you find out about it, then?"

"They couldn't fly. I went up until I got out of the atmosphere; no sound up there. Then I met up with Gay Invincible and his boyfriend gave me ear plugs."

More brains than some of the alternates, then. Also, nice assumption about the Lantern and his boss.

Purple looks my way. "Got any more?"

I take a couple out of subspace and float them over.

It's not like they're super-useful. It's only a matter of time before they call it quits here.

"Thanks." He puts them in his ears, while an Invincible in bulky white armour decides to put his helmet back on.

"Okay, I'm going to say it." Armour Invincible raises his right arm and generates a holographic representation of the Earth. "This is a bust."

Huh, a rare example who's wearing heavy defences. I doubt the gear is tougher than he is, so it must be for other reasons. Tech upgrades, perhaps?

Invincible sneers at him. "You must be one of the weak ones."

"No, just the smartest." A series of red dots appear on the image. "These are the cities reduced to rubble and corpses."

Surprisingly rude for this alt!Mark. Or is he playing up the arrogance of someone who 'won'.

Moustache Invincible smiles. "And I'm falling behind while I'm stuck here listening to you. What's your point?"

"And these-" Dozens of black dots appear. "-are dead Invincibles. You see how there are more dead Invincibles than dead cities?"

I'm sure the locals consider it fair payback. And given that a lot of you seem to be assholes or outright villains...

An Invincible wearing just a thong nods. "I guess that's what happens when you attack a planet completely openly with no plan and with people who refuse to cooperate with each other."

The other Invincibles stare at him.

...Should we ask why he's so scantily clad? Or is this one of those weird alternate Earth things?

A near-nudist Earth, perhaps?

He smiles. "I'm pretty sure that makes me the smartest."

Invincible shakes his head. "No, I'm the smartest because I brought backup I could trust to back me up."

Not that he's going to mention the full range of Lantern's abilities (that he knows of, anyway.)

I raise my right hand, and wave.

Moustache Viltrumite Invincible frowns. "Is it me, or are we sounding a lot like the Mauler Twins right now?"

"Jesus." / "Shut up." / "No way!"

Nice to see they have that much in common with each other.

"Yes we are, and as I was saying-" Armour Invincible points at the hologram. "-'Team' Invincible -and I use that term very loosely- is getting creamed. I don't know what Angstrom offered the rest of you, but as far as I'm concerned the chance of dying is too high for it to be worth completing the contract. It's time to quit."

The joy of having intelligent troops: Sometimes they recognise that they're paying the price for your plan.

Purple smirks. "And how were you planning on doing that? He's the one who opens interdimensional portals."

"If we can't take one guy, we don't deserve to call ourselves 'Invincible'."

...Those that use the name invincible, anyway. Wonder if they all do, or if some prefer other names they came up with way back when?

"So…" Invincible holds up his victim. "I can just toss this guy back?"

"No." Armour Invincible shuts down his hologram. "He's got a weird fixation with this universe's Invincible. I don't mind fighting Angstrom, but at this point I'll take a portal back home. It's a radioactive mess, but it's my radioactive mess."

Ah, the old 'play the captive until you can get your hands on the big bad' ploy. Clever of them.

That gets my attention. "I beg your pardon, but would you mind explaining that?"

"Some sort of last resort failsafe thing. Dad and I conquered the world, then all the nukes went off."

"Oh."

...Why do I get the feeling Cecil has that 'giant fuck you' tucked away in his apocalypse locker too?

"It's not that bad; the radiation will wear off in another five years or so, and there were people in bunkers and isolated areas who are still alive. Five years is nothing to a viltrumite, really. But the Grand Regent was pretty pissed so we're both stuck there until we fix it. I only came here because I wanted samples of extinct animals. I don't wanna spend the next century surviving on rats and cockroaches."

Though that kind of depends on Levy being willing to ship shiploads of native animals back for you. I doubt he's going to go that far.

Purple looks around. "So is he coming, or-?"

Ssshnnng.

Ah, their lack of city-destroying has his attention, it seems.

A glowing green portal opens a short distance from us… And there's the man himself. Cape, a head that would make The Leader ask 'are you okay?', two glowing blue force fields to stand on and a small retinue of spy drones… So they can be sure of getting his good side? I've got no idea who he's recording for.

His true masters, not that anyone but him knows that. And he's naive or narcissistic enough to think they'll always do as he says...

"Have you all give up already?"

"Look." Armour Invincible holds up his right arm and projects… A series of holograms showing smashed and burned cities. "You wanted us to wreck the place, we wrecked the place. He-" He points to Invincible. "-even got the Invincible you've got a weird hard-on for."

It really does feel that way, doesn't it?

Moustache Invincible raises an eyebrow. "Swearing doesn't make you cool."

"I wish I was swearing. This armour has multiphasic scanners. Human blood shows up in infrared."

Oh?

...Oh. I'm guessing Levy's suit has a codpiece to hide that.

All the Invincibles moue, eyes flicking briefly to Angstrom's crotch. I… Remove our sacrificial victim from Invincible and float him over to Angstrom.

Invincible looks a little unwell. "You're just going to kill him, right? That's what I thought this was about. I get wanting revenge, but-."

I suspect he intends to apply a little torture first, until his anger gets the best of him.

"THIS IS ABOUT REVENGE! HE TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!"

"Ah, I don't think he did." Moustache Invincible shakes his head. "I checked the G.D.A.'s records. All he did was-."

Ssshnnng. / Ssshnnng.

Somehow, I don't think he's in the mood to discuss it.

A portal opens and a torrent of spy drones surge through, battering Moustache Invincible and knocking him backwards towards another portal! Thong Invincible floats away looking mildly uncomfortable as Moustache Invincible tries punching his way free of the stream of flying robots. They aren't strong enough to hurt him or tough enough to survive his hits but there are a lot of them and they're each imparting a small amount of kinetic energy. I have no idea where that portal goes, but I doubt that it's anywhere nice.

Yeah, that's a safe bet. The same place he planned to send all of the alternates, too...

Moustache Invincible appears to realise that as well. He drops down, ducking under the drone stream and accelerating-

Ssshnnng.

Best way to avoid a pushing force like that: Don't be there.

-towards a new portal. He dodges it with an aileron roll, but-

Ssshnnng.

Hopefully Levy can't open them in too quick a succession. Dodging one only to go through another that opened right in your way would suck.

-another portal opens and a new stream of drones hit him in the stomach and send him upwards.

Armour Invincible has a finger hovering over a new button on his vambrace, but isn't acting yet. Moustache jukes around the new swarm and darts towards Angstrom, who-

All it takes is one good punch. The trick is getting there.

Ssshnnng.

-opens a new portal. Moustache… Makes a show of not being able to stop in time and then stops dead right next to it, ducking behind it so that Angstrom can't see him.

Sneaky! Though Levy probably knows he's there, what with all the cameras.

"Hah!" Angstrom leaves the portal where it is, having his drones grab the recumbent Invincible from me and hold him up. "And I'll do the SAME AGAIN to ANYONE who lies about what he did to me. And as for you…"

He stares at the unresponsive Invincible with… A disturbing level of desire.

Good for the local for not giving himself away by shuddering in disgust at that.

"Your world burns. And it's your face they associate with it! My vengeance is nearly compl-."

His eyes bulge as he chokes, and I'm moving as the capsule of ipecac syrup Rae just dropped in his stomach opens, the contents of his digestive tract violently evacuating as I flash behind him and-

Hopefully bringing Rae with it in the process.

"Assimilate."

Well, this shouldn't take long. I doubt he has any defences against that...

If this works, Lantern's Invincible is about to become a multiversal power. Though he's probably compassionate enough to limit himself to helping the others fix their worlds, within reason. I don't see it failing through any action on Levy's part, and he's desirous enough to be unable to resist the process for long. The question is, what will his backers do?

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

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