Chojin Patriarch
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That does make sense. Maltusian symbiotes wouldn't have been reliably converted along with their host, since internal 'fauna and flora' would produce some bizarre results. Or maybe Larfleeze couldn't assimilate them and they simply died off as their host converted.29th July 2013
10:40 GMT
I watch as the Guardian procession heads towards Supertown while I float… A few miles away. I need to be here in case something goes wrong, and apparently so that our ring-shaped Guardian doesn't try to seek me out. I wonder why he never got as far as me? Could they cloud his senses so that he couldn't detect me, or does becoming a construct restrict his powers in some way? I suppose that if they're a result of symbiosis as I half-remember from the comics then lacking a body would result in him losing them.
Anything useful about it, or did you simply net a very peculiar paperweight?I pull the Eradicator head out of subspace and look at it.
Hm.
Which is a much more sensible place to keep their thinking parts. We only have them where they are because of overheating issues.Roy managed to drill a neat hole through both of the eyes, so the cameras and the focusing system for the heat beams is gone. It was probably less advanced than the one Kon and I fought on Xenon, but it might have been nice to see how the technology changed over time. The short term memory store survived Roy's shot due to the internal armour partition, but… It looks like they're designed to send sensory data back to the main unit rather than maintain records themselves. I say 'looks like'; they may have had the main data store in their chests rather than their heads.
Something of a killer prism, then.But looking behind the eyes, it doesn't looks like the energy weapons built into the face were anything special, actually. Not unless Dubbilex feels like creating G-Pixies. They actually use the same sort of cell suspension that the G-Sprites use to generate electricity, just combining it with small sunstones to activate the things. The design doesn't appear to include capacitors, so I have to assume that the build up is so rapid that they weren't required. Either that, or they were build directly into the eye itself.
Comparative antiques by Kryptonian standards. Notable largely out of curiosity?I sigh quietly.
But since I don't really care about kryptonian energy weapons and I don't think that Dubbilex is interested in creating siblings who would require inorganic crystals in order to function, the only interesting thing is the memory store. And it's frustratingly incomplete. This Eradicator was apparently mostly being used to perform repairs and maintenance on the Daxamite fleet, so that's what I've got footage of. Interesting enough, but not anything that I couldn't have learned from Har-Zod…
I suppose Clark doesn't remember anything while he was under the Eradicator program's control, then?No. Given the age of the ships, it's quite possible that he wouldn't know.
Nothing that NEMO engineers couldn't have worked out, then. Actual useful footage is a bit.. rarer. No images of Doctor Knight's ship. Nothing of the Deep Six. Nothing of Vandal Savage. And nothing showing the 'other' source of power rings Super Eradicator was talking about. No Lanterns on-screen, and the only remotely Lantern-like thing is a brief green glow in one shot, and I suspect that's just the local Green Lantern. I will check of course, but given how out-of-character Daxam was behaving it would have been strange if they didn't check up on the place.
Certainly, with the eyes destroyed, there's no danger of it spying on anyone. At least visually.I consider the Eradicator head again. Maybe Wallace can use if for a cave decoration or something.
I send it back into subspace and sit back to-.
Handy! No need to dodge blasts from his super-segway.My ring shimmers.
"Illustres here."
Guy's head appears. "Orion ain't here, Paul. Get over here."
I'm pretty sure he knows Orion wants your head, and wouldn't risk you.Ah, okay. "Be with you shortly."
I'm not going to try faster than light travel near Guardians and Supertown. Instead I fly through the air, keeping a careful eye out in case Guy thinks that me bumping into Orion would count as a prank.
Well, that's helpful. I can't wait to see how they respond to him..."Where is he, then?"
"Highfather send him t' tawk t' the hillbillies. Won't be back fer a couple a' days."
Admittedly, he probably has the diplomatic skills of a flaming sledgehammer hitting a block of ice..."He sent Orion for that?"
"Gawt him outta th' way, didn't it?"
Yeah, I imagine whatever building they're in has some hefty anti-air defences in place right now.A soldier standing guard outside one of the towers raises his right hand to beckon me down. While I can see where the Guardians are perfectly well I wasn't sure where the proper door was. I give him a nod of thanks, then fly through the entrance and… In their direction.
A bodyguard, a scientist (Who I imagine has a tiny body out of sight inside that platform) and the grand knowledge-seeker himself. About what you'd expect for an event like this.The interior decoration is a little more tasteful than the exterior plating. I wonder if it was green anyway, or if they decorated it like this in honour of the Guardians?
I find where they're having the meeting soon enough. Izaya's holding the ring, frowning faintly. A well-muscled New God in a yellow body stocking with gold decoration is standing at ease near to him, looking at the Fists with mild interest. Hovering around the ring is a… Bald head connected to some sort of anti-gravity unit. And it seems that the version of Metron who exists in this universe has blue skin for… Some reason. He's floating just above the rest in the Mobius Chair… Except for Guy who's making a point of being just a little higher.
Not doubt he's very curious as to your nature and origins. Though he's notAnd he's staring at me.
I raise my right hand and give him a friendly wave and a smile.
So, not instantaneous. Wonder what it'll do for his symbionts.Ganthet raises his hands, some sort of analytical construct forming around the ring. "Very well. I am ready. You may begin."
Highfather lets the ring rest on his left palm, holding his staff with his right. A sphere of distorted space forms around the ring and it floats in front of him. "I imagine this will take a good deal longer than the Deep Six, given a Guardian's age and the length of time he has been a Construct-Lantern."
Confident, aren't they? Especially in their assumption that they'll have any advice to offer."You will find that we are extremely patient."
Appa nods. "Let us know if you encounter any difficulty, and we will be happy to assist."
Hopefully it'll be able to show some connection between Spectrum and Source. That's always been one of those fuzzy areas because of writer's retcons...The floating head doesn't nod due to the fact that he doesn't have a neck, but he does smile. "My probes are ready, Highfather. We shall see in detail how the power of the Source interacts with this anomalous construct."
Highfather looks up at Metron. "And you, Metron? Are you prepared?"
Metron probably doesn't care about simple things like good and evil. And he probably scanned you a dozen times before you even flew in the door.Metron continues staring at me. "I was ready the moment I arrived."
I take a small lead sheet out of subspace, and position it so that it's floating in the air between him and me. Guy glances down, looks from me to Metron, and isn't quite able to contain his smile. Now-.
...Ooh, that's a good detail to remember. Given that Larfleeze probably absorbed everyone he's ever Assimilated into his Ring at some point... Those memories would have left a mark on him. But what happens when the Construct is restored? Will he lose those memories? Did OL forget what he learned from the Deep Sixers and simply hasn't noticed?Oh.
"Illustres to whoever's on asylum duty." A clicker's head appears over my ring. "We're about to try transforming one of Larfleeze's Construct-Lanterns back into a living person. Please be alert for any changes in his behaviour."
Bit rue to make a quick call during such a momentous moment. What if that threw all their sensors out of alignment?"Yes, Illustres."
I clench my left hand, ending the transmission. And everyone's looking at me.
He would probably have been cowering and scrambling to get away, given prior appearances."I couldn't bring him here, could I? He's in the asylum for a very good reason."
Highfather nods. "Please have Ogandu Onna Oslan return to his Guardian form."
A very educational process that's probably letting them learn just how a Ring is put together to some degree.I nod, and
crack the structure, turning him from a desire-based tool to a manifestation of his own desires.
I would imagine seeing the moving corpse of a fellow Guardian would be impactful.Ganthet retains his equanimity, but Appa isn't able to prevent himself looking sombre. Or perhaps that's just his role as it is for Hinon. Highfather meets his eyes for a moment, then gestures towards him with his staff. "I grant you respite."
I'm picturing him shifting to an almost real-life appearance rather than DC Animation standard. And the construct is probably analysing the relative interactions.The orange glow intensifies, and at the same time Highfather seems more… There, standing out despite not overtly changing. And… The New Gods are all staring at his work, which lets me return the lead sheet to subspace. And the Guardians are studying it closest, things… Moving, in Appa Ali Apsa's construct.
"You've been asleep... For quite a long time."I glance at up Guy, who glances down at me. We shrug at each other.
And then the orange cracks like a shell, and inside… A Guardian, slightly taller than the other two but otherwise unremarkable. He stares around, apparently not entirely clear where he is.
Appa Ali Apsa floats towards him, laying his right hand on his shoulder. "Welcome back, brother."
Well, he's flesh once more. I suppose we'll see soon if it's had any effect on Larfleeze, OL or the Ophidian. She's probably more grumpy about an interesting toy being taken away than anything, though. And while Ogandu is going to need to do some catching up, he shouldn't take too long, depending on the status of his symbiotes. We'll have to see about the content of his character, though...