• The regular administrative staff are taking a vacation, and in the meantime, Biigoh is taking over. See here for more information.
  • A notice about Rule 3 regarding sites hosting pirated/unauthorized content has been made. Please see here for details.
  • Staff is working to deal with the problem of synonymous tags. See here for more information and to suggest tag mergers.
  • Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
  • For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
  • Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
  • Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.

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

21st September 2013
19:29 GMT -5


I watch from a mile up as Antonia Monetti in turn watches a… A group of people right on the border between 'protest group' and 'mob', as they protest outside of a building being used for… Uh, some sort of political working dinner. The generally ineffectualness of the American government hasn't exactly escaped the general public. 'DO YOUR JOBS' is just about the most polite sign down there. She's not really doing much, just standing there with a couple of D.C. police officers while the group kindly consents to not charge the front doors just behind them.
Yeah, compared to the highly visible League, the wheels of government turn slowly and invisibly. I can imagine people being unsatisfied with the folks in charge, seeing only minimal response to the Anti-Life and its aftermath...

I assume that she came with her father, Senator Anthony Monetti of New Jersey. He hasn't really been relevant for me to pay any attention to. I couldn't even say which party he's part of without looking it up-.

Democrat.
Ah, the Ring being helpful as ever.

Thank you, ring.

You are welcome.
And surprisingly polite. I'd be a little worried its VI is getting a little too smart...

Hm. Yes, she doesn't really know what she's supposed to do, and as a result has defaulted to doing the correct thing, which is nothing. Looking like you could be a threat but not being actually threatening should serve to keep things peaceful. I could wait or I could come back-.
Don't underestimate how stupid a group can be. They're only as smart as their dumbest member.

A concerned-looking OMAC strolls towards the rear of the demonstration. Track… More are heading this way.

I don't know if that's normal or not. I haven't been paying attention to Washington because it hasn't really been relevant and I don't want anything from them. I'm not.. exactly surprised that people have developed a low opinion of their elected representatives, but they were living in Anti-Life central.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of them didn't survive the event. Which means their constituents would have to see about electing someone to take the seat...

Of course, most of these people live in the general area of the District of Colombia, and as such are the type of people who expect government action rather than the type inclined to take action on their own part. Wonder if I should have a talk with Oliver about American politics? Could be-
Might want to check around, Ollie might not have the most neutral opinion there.

Someone near the front of the crowd lights a Molotov Cocktail.

-illuminating.
Ah, there's trouble. One of the 'dumbest members' I spoke of.

I prepare to dive, but Miss Monetti had already spotted it. She steps up and raises her hands, a glowing mass of blue-silver plasma extruding itself from her bare skin and forming a circular barrier just in time to catch the projectile. The police cringe back as the bottle shatters, burning fuel spilling across the plasma construct as it flickers and flares. It's not weak, the impact isn't threatening its integrity, her ability just doesn't seem to lend itself to tight containment fields.
Interesting. Like Spectrum energy-lite. Something OL could help her with, perhaps.

The crowd closest to the thrower shrinks away from him, not having any interest in that kind of approach. But the people further back can't really see what's happening, and from their point of view a fiery barrier just appeared without provocation. They're not moving. If anything, they're getting louder. The OMAC hesitates, but after a couple of seconds starts moving with renewed purpose. Probably getting a satellite recording of what just happened. If he wades through the crowd to arrest the would-be assailant, things could get unpleasant.
Likely checking he can identify the thrower once he starts looking. The problem is if the crowd panics at the obvious cape advancing on them.

And despite the vague similarity, Miss Monetti isn't a Lantern.

I transition down, appearing just behind the Molotov-thrower.
Very much not able to easily generate multiple constructs at once, for one thing. And limited to human-level senses.

"-cowardly fascist-!"

I grab his wrist as he goes for a second throw, the lit Molotov staying in his hand.
Best to snip that plan in the bud, and snuff out the flame.

"Good evening, sir."

Without looking around, he tries to elbow me in the face. I grab his arm and twist it behind his back.
that hand-to-hand training coming in handy for once.

"Ah!"

Now he actually thinks to look back, and his eyes widen.
Yup. You're nicked, mate.

"Yes, you have indeed boo-booed." Construct chains, step around him and put the Molotov out, take it from him and… Ah, good the police officer is coming forwards. "Do you need this as evidence?"

"Orange Lantern-? Ah, no, it's all on camera."

"Good show."
Excellent, prompt response time and a nice visible hand-off to the regular cop. Should help defuse any tension in the crowd.

I disintegrate it, and then turn away and rise two metres into the air and wave at the OMAC. He stops walking and nods back at me, and I return to street level. The crowd… The shot of fear generated by the violence is dissipating, but the obviousness of my presence is encouraging a degree of dissipation.
Yes, a very obvious powered individual stepping in will do that. They should be a little more polite now.

Hm.

"Excuse me! Is this about anything in particular, or it is a general protest about the government being useless?!"
Best to find out for sure, I suppose.

Molotov Man snaps out of his stupor. "It's about fascist pigs living it large on the taxpayer dime!"

"Anyone else!?"
Gent definitely has issues with someone or something going on. Might need further investigation. Maybe a training case for the rookies?

No one exactly comes forwards, but a few people nod.

"Perfectly alright, then! Protest away! Don't throw anything else, and you'll be fine!"
I hope they listen, but somehow, I suspect molotov guy wasn't alone.

I float the Molotovian off his feet and towards the closest police officer.

"Except you."
Yeah, even if no-one got hit, the intent was still there. Also, trying to elbow OL in the face probably qualifies as assault and attempted battery?

"I knew she was gunna block it!"

"I'm afraid that really doesn't matter."
Interesting. I guess she's public enough that her abilities are generally known. Hard to be discreet with brushed-silver skin.

"Fucking-!"

"I suggest you stop talking until you speak to a lawyer, sir." I use the construct chains to pull his hands behind his back and hold his wrists into a convenient handcuffing position, and nod politely to Miss Monetti when she stares at me as the officer handcuffs him.

"You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to…"
Right, time for business.

I dismiss the chain construct and float towards her.

"Miss Monetti?"
No doubt people filming this too. First meeting of these two known capes in public? cape-watchers will be marking that in their calendars.

She moves her plasma screen off to the side-. She's still using both hands, and the fire is still burning. I wave my right hand and put it out, and she dismisses her construct, opening and closing her fingers as she does so. The construct itself expands and thins out as it vanishes, rather than the neat 'no longer there' vanishing that ring constructs do.
No interference between the two, unlike mixed-Spectrum constructs. So it's not Spectrum energy, certainly.

"Ah, yeah?"

"Any injuries?"

She looks past me into the crowd. "I don't think s-? Oh, me?"
Yes, well, unless that skin comes with durability enhancements, she's still quite squishy...

"Yes."

"No, no, I'm fine." I look at her twitching fingers. She takes a moment, and then follows my gaze-. "Oh, no, that's just-." She makes a point of stopping twitching. "They're fine."
I mean, she probably doesn't usually get much excitement like that day-to-day.

"Alright, if you say so. The reason I'm here is that I want to talk to you."

"About what?"
Curiosity about her constructs? Professional interest in her origins? Helping out the rookie? So many reasons.

"The Justice League is running a training scheme for young superheroes, and we're offering you a place. In point of fact-" Her eyes widen. "-if you are interested, I'll be your mentor."

Her eyes go back to normal. "The… Cake guy."
Been a long time since anyone called him that. I guess she doesn't eat much Cadbury's. 😏

"Could you hold up a cake that big with one of your constructs?"

Her eyes drop. "Nno."

"Then it seems like I may have something to teach you. Interested?"
Admittedly, she may not be able to generate that much plasma anyway. Most comics references point to small-scale blasts and simple shapes of modest size...

That's two public approaches by OL. Wonder if the other Team members are being this open about making contact with their prospective recruits? Just imagine what the cape-watching communities will be saying about all this. Never mind all the conspiracy theorists...
 
Didn't straight up stone cold murdering a certain Chaos Lord get a lot of play in the public? You know the one that children and adults in two separate worlds and caused at least a 6 digit body count?
In this timeline, Paragon gave the credit to China's superteam.

Renegade is the one who took public credit for it.
 
He spun the moon! He performed in a supervillain's magic play before the president, alongside Amazons! He fought the strongest water-kineticist in modern history! He meddles with angels' missions and responsibilities! He's brought heroic and profession aliens to assist in Earth's recovery, and they haven't engaged in supervillainy!
 
Her eyes go back to normal. "The… Cake guy."

"Could you hold up a cake that big with one of your constructs?"

Her eyes drop. "Nno."

"Then it seems like I may have something to teach you. Interested?"
When are people going to learn? He's not just "the cake guy" any more. He also fisted a spider.
 
"Perfectly alright, then! Protest away! Don't throw anything else, and you'll be fine!"
That is going to be all over social media. "League supports protesting against the government."

Her eyes go back to normal. "The… Cake guy."
So she is a slow student. No problem, the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps is more than capable of bringing her up to speed.
 
Argent seems like a perfectly ordinary replacement level superhero, with the level of competence you'd expect from someone with no special training who is still doing their best. I'll be interested to see what OL can do with her. I think her powers come from being half-alien somehow?
 
Question: what's the difference between an AI and a VI? I've never heard it actually discussed.
In my experience, a VI lacks creativity and thus limited potential. It'd be an automated system with a long list of contingencies but can't branch out from there. An AI would be a person in a machine for all of the things it could think up with and do.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top