Your Everything Disgusts Me (DC/SI)

[TotalAbsolutism]

You will suffice.​

My first thought was pain. Which was not precisely accurate. Rather; my first thought was of the pain. It was there, but disconnected. I knew I was feeling pain but it didn't fully register as… well, painful. Certainly I could still feel it rather keenly but it wasn't unpleasant in any way save that I was noticeably aware of the sensation.

Correct. You have Contempt for pain. Your ability to be inconvenienced by it has been removed.

Ah. Well, that was good. Which begged two questions; how was that, and who was talking to me? I opened my eyes and was immediately blinded by the light of the sun. More unpain as my damaged retinas were constructed and reinforced. Pain. There was still that. I looked down at my body and found that I was completely naked, yet covered in strange apparatuses.

What. The. Fuck.

You have Contempt for your physical form and it is currently undergoing destruction.

Destruction, oh, was that all. Well, what a fucking wonderful turn of eve-

Rage detected. This ring requires Contempt to function.

… wait, ring? I pulled my hand in front of my face as best I could with all of the weirdly coloured things burrowing through my flesh and stared blankly at the ugly-coloured band around my middle finger. Well, if that wasn't the most appropriate thing ever I have no idea what is.

Ring, cease all destructive activities.

It shall be done.

And show me myself.

I quickly regretted that. It generated some sort of construct that hijacked my optic nerves and showed me in the third person from a number of angles. To an outside observer they'd think I had just been tortured. The damn thing had flayed me alive. It still hurt… sort of. The sensation was impossible to properly describe.

Just what the hell were you doing?

In accordance with protocol this terminal was restoring this user to the correct physical state through destruction of Contemptible physical defects. You have great Contempt for the majority of your physical form but also Contempt for any process that does not involve you retaining continuity of consciousness. This terminal was attempting gradual conversion of your body to a state you would find the least Contemptible.

Ugh. We'd… look at that later. Restore me.

This terminal is incapable of doing so.

Say what? I tried to wrack my brain for all the details I could recall about how Power Rings worked and then, quite suddenly, froze in place. What was I doing? I was in space, in an asteroid belt by the looks of things, naked, with my flesh flayed to the bone in some locations, with an unidentifiable colour of power ring. Why wasn't I panicking?

You have Contempt for the notion of panicking in this situation. Your Contemptible emotions are being suppressed by this terminal.

Ah. Easy solution, then. Ring; on my 'go' you will cease maintaining emotional stability and only restore normal functions once my mood has reached a modicum of stability on its own. Maintain my position and physical wellbeing only during this period. Ignore any orders I give you until emotional stability returns.

It shall be done.

Go.

There are no words for what I felt. If the pain hadn't been suppressed I would have very likely gone insane. Even then, it's likely that I spent hours in that state while the Ring decided to resume its 'destruction' of my 'Contemptible physical aspects'. By the time I had finally finally recovered from the overwhelming deluge of panic, hatred, homesickness and self-loathing that had hit me the Ring had finished its work.

Even though it had re-stabilized me again I still felt… wrong. Ring, status report.

Destruction of Contemptible physical aspects are completed. Agent Puce is now immortal. This terminal's charge is at ninety-nine percent.

There were so many 'whats' in there I barely knew where to begin. Let's go with 'immortal', first off.

In this case, immortality is defined as total immunity to further physical degradation. The Agent's lifespan is now functionally infinite; albeit dependant on possession of this terminal for maintenance of sanity beyond the lifespan of the Agent's species.

I see. That was… a thing. I'd likely need another 'little moment' to work through my feelings on that. As it stood all I really felt was a noticeable lack of self-loathing. It was… odd. Nice, but odd. Very well; let's go with 'Agent' next.

User is designated 'Agent Puce', likely to be of the 'Puce Lantern Corps'. Scans detect no other sources of Puce Light in this sector. This terminal is in possession of the Puce Central Power Battery. Conclusion; current owner is primary, and sole, user of the Puce Light and is thus designated Agent Puce.

Okay. First, we're not calling it that. Secondly, we're not calling me that. Stop using that word. It just sounds wrong.

It shall be done.

Thirdly, and I'm no expert, but I'm reasonably sure that whatever happened just now should have drained more than one percent ring power. Explain.

This terminal is powered by the Puce Light of Contempt. Construct power and energy efficiency are dependent on the magnitude of Contempt. Before Contemptible physical aspects of the Agent were destroyed this terminal registered no greater source of Contempt than that which the user felt towards their own flesh.

… ah.

Yes, that would do it, wouldn't it. Sad thing was that the damn ring was right, wasn't it. Okay. I focused and tried to turn myself around. No, of course that wouldn't work. Couldn't want it, couldn't will it. Rather, I had to feel contempt for the current state of affairs. And… we had flight control.

Ring, where am I?

Unknown.

Ring, how did I get here?

This terminal is uncertain of the specifics. A Bleed-Fracture based weapons system was used on this terminal's original resting place. Automatic search functions were activated. You were selected and acquired during the transit to this universe. Designation is unclear. Location is unclear. Star systems do not match any databases this terminal has access to.

How many databases do you have access to?

This terminal has access to two primary databases; a full registry of planets and the inhabitants thereof within this terminal's original universe, and a substantive database of technologies potentially useable for the purpose of augmenting this terminal's user.

An odd combination. Why not useful technologies, tools for uplifting planets?

This terminal is powered by Contempt. Rarely is any Contempt greater than that a mortal creature feels for its own existence.

Not going to debate with it on that point. Don't even have a reason to, since I basically agree with it. Well, that's just great. Scan the local area, will you? As passively as possible, don't want anyone noticing me just yet.

It shall be done.

Information filtered into my brain. Of course it would be. I barely even liked DC; give me Spider-Man any day. But a power ring meant that was where I had to be. Idly, part of me wondered if speculative fiction about my reality existed here. Worth looking into.

Two noticeably inhabited planets; one with a largely subterranean species and one with creatures that looked a lot like how I… used to look. Not sure what I looked like now. Didn't really want to check just yet.

Ring, plot a course to the third planet. Keep passive scans active; absorb and parse any signals, but don't alert me to anything unless it's on an intercept course or actively pinging us.

It shall be done.

I pulled myself into a sitting position as a puce-coloured sphere surrounded me. Time to take stock. Firstly; DC universe. Not a great help, I could barely remember anything about… actually, ring; scan my mind for any and all information about the DC comic, animated and cinematic universes and assemble it into a useable database.

It shall be done.

That'd help; I probably remembered more than I actively knew. Brains were funny like that. Anyway. There were some good universes to be in, some bad ones; that much I could definitely say. I could work with either one. Personally, I was hoping for something akin to the Justice Lords. At least Gods and Monsters. That would work better with my personal paradigms; the latter more than the former, to be fair.

Seemed that flying drained the ring more than reconstructing my body from the ground up. We were doing a sub-light approach, so there was that, and I wasn't particularly contemptuous of where I had been before. Had to decide what to do first and foremost.

This was going to be tricky. I had to decide what it was that I despised the most about the setting and deal with that before anything else; if the locals turned out to be standard Leaguers then they would restrict me in ways I didn't care to be restricted.

Ring, can you make contact with any of the satellites orbiting the planet?

It can be done.

I don't want to be ignorant. Download every bit of publically accessible information there is, internally cross-check it and verify it as best you can. Once you know everything about the world and its systems do the same for every other form of digital information you haven't yet downloaded.

It shall be done.

That would probably take the next few hours or so to finish. Maybe less. I didn't know a lot about power rings but I did know they were insanely good xenotech hypercomputers. Ring, progress?

Collating public data and fact-checking… it is done. Downloa-it is done. Collati-it is done.

Huh. Finished the secondary download in less time than it took to inform me of it. That was concerning. But also rather nice. Ring, encrypt all of that information. I don't want anyone that isn't me accessing those databases regardless of who wears you. Do it however you have to.

It shall be done.

And then I was there. Above the planet. Staring down at the planet. It was so… beautiful. Where should I start? Ring, database. Bring up active villains, sort by contempt, and generate a map showing where they are.

That's about what I expected.

Show me the heroes next. Ah… now that was a thing of beauty. A true and proper League. Sure, it didn't work for what I really wanted but… I was kind of okay with that. A world that let me have free reign wouldn't be very enjoyable.

In the end this, all of this, was what I wanted. What I really, really wanted. Why deny it? Sure, I'd likely get off to a rocky start. But, well… let's just confirm some of my suspicions. That first one, bring up a list of his crimes in chronolo-... no, actually, in escalation of how I'll feel about them. Dip me in slowly.

Ah. Well, that wasn't so bad. Kind of stupid, really. Like reading some idiot frat boy's prank journal. But then... then there was the rest of it. The ring seemed to have difficulty decided which would enrage me more. I did, however, reach one particular article and then I just had to stop. A judge had been vocally pushing for potential death sentences in the case of certain serial recidivists. Then, for his niece's seventh birthday party, someone had decided she deserved a visit from a birthday clown. There had been a picture attached; which showed that this damn thing knew just how to motivate me.

All the little bodies laid out on the morgue tables...

I was starting to get the feeling that I knew why this ring had chosen me. Because this was a state of affairs that would not continue for any length of time if I had anything to say about it. Ring, are you capable of FTL travel?

It can be done.

Very good. Let's do it, then. Plot a course to Arkham Asylum, but do not engage yet. You have the place identified?

It is done.

Response time will be good. Not good enough. When I arrive I want… is the place EMP shielded?

Official plans say no; those liberated from the group you identify as the 'Justice League' say yes.

What happens if the power goes out?

Everything is sealed. Escape may be possible for some few inmates but most will be trapped in their cells.

Can we do an EMP burst on transmission?

This ring specializes in the destruction of anything you feel Contempt for. You feel Contempt for the systems of this building; so they can be thus destroyed.

Do it.

I materialize inside the building. The ring knows my intentions as well as I do because it's put me right in front of the cell I was going for. All the lights go dark within a second of my arrival and the only light that's left is the dull one that's being shed from my environmental shield.

"Ooh, would you look at that? Didn't know you lot came in Brown. And that is a good look on you, I must say!" I turn to face the thing before me. Part of me expected a stronger reaction from this. But, no, there wouldn't be, would there. This isn't like the time I read about North Korean Internment Camps, or heard about the latest school shooting.

I don't hate him. I can just think of no reason for his continued existence. There's no reason to say anything to him; I just walk over and tear his cell door off; amazed not only at the ease but at the sight of my own, surprisingly tanned arm.

That line of thought ends immediately as the Joker dances happily out of his cell and turns to look at me with that stupid grin still etched on his face. I've yet to even say anything to him. I don't think I want to bother. What words of any substance could possibly pass between us?

"Well now! I didn't think you'd be a fan, Brownie! Here I was reckoning this was an interrogation, not a brea-" His voice cuts off as I snap a restraint construct around him; binding him in place. I feel nothing for this existence except for absolute Contempt. So I'm going to destroy him utterly.

Actually… ring, take a snapshot of his brain and extract all memories. Gag him properly, too; I don't want to listen to him squealing.

It is done.

A construct mask appears over his face. Good point, don't really want him looking at me either. My other request?

It cannot be done.

Why not?

Your Contempt for this being is absolute. You do not wish to allow any remnant of him to persist. Storing a duplicate of his consciousness would go against that wish.

Ugh. Have to frame the thought properly. For as strongly as I feel about the Joker I can't guess what he might have planned before he was arrested. See if I can focus my feelings here. While I have more Contempt for his person than I have ever felt for anything that wasn't myself I feel more strongly about the idea that my own stupid emotions would let him get the 'last laugh' if I can't fix what he's done to people.

… it is done.

Finally. After a moment's further thought I cut off his pain senses as well; fully, not the phantom function that I have going. This will take a while, and I despise the idea of being needlessly cruel almost as much as I despise every second of this abomination's continued existence.

The process takes some time, but I'm in no hurry. Better to be thorough about it. At the end I toss what's left back into the cell and seal the door. After a brief reflection I transmute a straitjacket for him as well.

It cannot be done.

Once again I ask; why not?

This terminal is optimised fo-

Ah. Destruction. Just fetch me one, then. A construct arm stretches out from the ring and through the floor, annihilating the matter it passes through, in order to retrieve one for me. I bind the pathetic lump that used to be the Joker with it and then re-reseal his door.

As I do so something bounces off my environmental shield and then explodes. That would be Batman; and a quick feeling of Contempt for the smokescreen around me blasts it away into nothingness. Ring, charge?

Sixty-one percent.

Plenty. I look up at Batman where he's perched on the above me and smile faintly.

"Ah, hello. Don't worry; I'm all done here and, for now, I think I'd like to surrender."

 

[TotalAbsolutism]

So this is what it felt like to be glared at by Batman.

I'm no fanboy for the guy but I had to admit he was pretty damn good. Just the right balance of judging and malice. It was the kind of glare that would make you want to spill all of your dark little secrets to the guy; assuming you weren't being mood stabilized by a power ring.

Of course, he was still a pretentious edgelord who thought that dressing up as a bat would somehow make him less incredibly outmatched by everything ever.

I blinked a few times, trying to focus. It felt harder than it had been a few moments ago. I didn't want to antagonize Batman. That would defeat the point of sticking around to make contact. I tried to smile at him, but I'm not sure that helped at all.

"So! Ah, why don't we go somewhere else? Out here amongst the cells isn't the best place to chat, after all." He continues to consider me from his perch. Trying to decide what my deal is? Shouldn't be so hard. I've got the ring, I've got the uniform, I've got the glow. Even if he doesn't recognize the colour, or my symbol, that sho-... ah.

At some point in my mental rant I glanced down to check out the symbol on my chest. Which, as it turned out, was not there. Nor was the typical lantern uniform. In point of fact, there wasn't anything on my person at all apart from the ring; which was surprisingly difficult to see against my now darker skin. Ring?

This terminal is incapable of tra-

Yeah, yeah, transmutation. I really had to wonder what they'd wanted to put into this thing that required them to cut that out. But, I should try and convince the big guy up there that I wasn't crazy first and foremost. "Ah… yeah, also; don't suppose there's any, ah, clothing that could be spared? Kiiiiiinda naked. Just a bit."

That would be a lot more embarrassing under normal circumstances, I'm sure. Thank you mood stabilizer. Ugh, he was raising a Bat-brow at me up there, wasn't he? Did drop down, though. Stalked over to the cell, glared in and glared back at me. I gave a little wave.

"Interview room. Now." Huh. I had half expected to be able to guess where I was from the, uh, 'voice actor'. As it were. Come to think of it, I hadn't been able to peg which Joker that had been. Nothing looked cartoonish here; not even in the movie-verse kind of way. It all just seemed a logical translation from the original source into a physical reality.

Still, even if I felt mildly self-conscious I might as well follow him. That proved to be a good idea as, along the way, he stopped at a cupboard that contained spare jumpsuits and tossed one to me. Not really my style, but quickly destroying the orange dye meant that I at least didn't look like a prisoner. More like a janitor, really.

The interview room wasn't far. Guess he didn't want to interrogate me right there in front of the cells. It looked a lot like the one I vaguely remembered from the start of Injustice. Was that where I was? Had I just put a stop to that timeline? Best not to speculate yet.

"Sit down. Stay. Put." Ah. The door slammed behind me a moment later. No knob or lock visible on the inside. Really… did he think that this would hold me? No, I don't think so. Batman isn't an idiot. Let's see… ring, monitor him.

It shall be done.

Scan the room. Any recording devices?

There are several.

Hm. Can you spoof them?

It can be done.

Do it; then put up a screen of whatever Batman's doing.

It shall be done.

I pulled up the chair, quite uncomfortable really, and leaned on the table to watch Batman on my screen-construct. At some point I'd need to start practicing making these myself. Assuming I was even capable of it. Actually… hey, ring? Why can you do things like this, but not generate a uniform for me?

This terminal is incomplete.

Really? What are you missing?

Unknown.

Ah. That does make sense. If I get my hands on another ring do you think you can repair the holes in your functionality?

It may be possible.

That works. On-screen, Batman was subduing the few inmates who had been able to break out in the struggle. This was quite good, actually; much like watching the cartoons. I couldn't deny his talent. However, as I watched, a thought occurred to me. Ring; outline your capabilities for me.

This terminal's primary purpose is the destruction of that which the user finds Contemptible. There are many methods through which this may be performed.

Yes, I'm aware of that much. It did… things to me. I still don't know quite what I look like. Can still feel facial hair, and my tattoo is still on my wrist, but my skin is darker and looks just generally more… healthy. Ring; you claim to be incapable of transmutation. How did you do this to me?

Complex constructs were utilized to manipulate your biology.

Why can't you do the same thing for anything else? You're capable of manipulating a massive range of energy, surely, so why not use constructs to transmute the things I need?

This terminal possessed the database necessary for biological manipulation. Baseline programming does not account for manipulation according to local chemistry or physics.

Hm. Start building a specific database for it from what I had you download earlier. We'll practice later. Maybe I can MacGuyver some of your missing functionality out of you.

It shall be done.

Ah, excellent. I can see Batman's done. That was speedy. Arkham's security mustn't be quite so terrible as it's always portrayed. Oh, and the lights are back on. Funny; I barely noticed the darkness. Whatever the ring did to me seemed to mean I was perfectly capable of seeing by no more light than the dull, reddish-brown of my environmental shield.

My pros; the ring could kill, if I had to. In fact, it could do so very well. Its basic programming and sensory suite were still intact and so I was still capable of digital warfare. Plus a full biological modification database… but that mostly focused on killing things, it seemed. Every race the creator of this ring had ever encountered and all of their weaknesses laid bare… along with suggestions on how to correct them.

I couldn't decide if the person who made this ring was a transhumanist, a sociopath, or both. Probably both. My cons were obvious; constructs based on the strength of my contempt. That would make shielding tricky. If I didn't strongly believe in the worthlessness of the attack then I'd have a hard time blocking it. Which meant that while I could effortlessly hold off anything in the arsenal of, say, Green Arrow I'd probably have a much harder time fighting another Lantern.

Primary objective, then; ensure the League is not a threat. I wasn't nearly suicidal enough to try and kill them, so that meant convincing them that I was not a threat.

The door opened. Batman came in. No other chair, so he stood opposite me. Glaring at me. I smiled back. Probably didn't help with him not thinking I was insane but he just didn't seem very intimidating. Huh. Oh, wow, he actually could narrow the eyes of that cowl. That? That was super cool.

"Can I get one of those? The cowl, I mean." I think I may have mildly surprised him. His face almost twitched. "Not, like, a bat one. I mean; then I'd be Bat-Puce and that'd be just wrong. One that adjusts to the shape of my face. I think normally the ring would get me one but it's having issues."

Credit where credit's due; I couldn't tell if his eyes flickered down to the ring or not. They probably did, but the lenses of his cowl made it impossible to tell. Clever.

"You're a Lantern." Not a question, so don't answer. He was trying to pressure me into rambling about something important as opposed to his cowl, I'm sure. Well, maybe not. Who knew what the Bat was thinking at any given time? Ah, well, I should throw him a bone.

"They do come in other colou-"

"Yellow, Blue, Red, and something with a very similar energy signature in Violet. I'm aware. That is none of the above and doesn't suit the color scheme. I can see three likely options here; first, you're trying to fake a power ring to intimidate people and are very bad at it. Second, you've gotten your hands on the real deal and have somehow broken it. Third, you're in possession of a dangerous and untested piece of super-technology."

Huh. Okay, he was pretty good. The first two were... less than likely. Well, the second was at least. I'm sure there was some idiot somewhere who'd tried to do the former. Probably in Gotham, even; they seemed to have the highest 'suicidal crazy nut' quotient. "What have you done with the Joker?"

Interesting turn of phrase. Does he not know what the man originally looked like in this continuity? It's possible he was never 'Jack Napier', or whatever his name was. Really hope I'm not in the Burton continuity, that would suuuuuck.

"Well, you could say I sent him away. But, really, I did nothing 'with' him. I destroyed him. Utterly." Batman narrows his eyes even further and leans in.

"Explain." Okay, that, uh, that is actually kind of intimidating. Like, I am fully aware on an intellectual level that my environmental shield can allow me to withstand hundreds of atmospheres of pressure; thus, Batman has literally nothing on him that can reliably hurt me.

Thing is... I'm not so sure that he believes that. Which, uh, when it comes to Batman is seriously concerning. I know for a fact he's smarter than me. So maybe, just maybe, I won't push at him.

"I removed everything that made him the Joker. My constructs restored his hair, skin and eyes, redacted his brain structure to a normal human state, and generally undid all the damage done to him over the years." Ah! That gets a reaction out of him. His eyes actually widen for about half a second.

"You healed him." I shake my head.

"No." My ring hand goes up. "Far as I know, only Blues can do that. This thing just destroys. I didn't heal him back into the man he once was, I destroyed the man he'd become. You might not see the difference, but it's definitely there." Although if anyone would grasp the concept it would be him.

"Why?" His priorities interested me. I understood them, of course, but I still found them curious.

"Because while his continued existence served no purpose whatsoever I still find the idea of killing a sapient creature contemptible when I have an equally valid solution available to me." Batman nods. I think he might be... not impressed, but at least taking my words at face value for now.

Warning, Will detected.

Ah. That would be why. The door opens and a Green Lantern floats in. Oh, hey, it's the black one! Wossname. First Lantern I knew existed, from the old Justice League Unlimited cartoons. Good times. Still, I can't help but wish that I'd... ended up... in... oh, wow.

He's, uh, he's not alone. Sure, he's come in and is giving me a look that isn't quite on Batman's tier but why should I care at all about him when there's that. Batman translated into a real-world look is definitely intimidating, and, uh... Stewart! Lantern Stewart's aura just reminds me of Rayleigh Scattering.

Wonder Woman, though? Whoo, boy. I was not prepared. She's... I'm not even sure beautiful is the word because she was crafted by a people whose ideal of beauty hasn't changed since Athens and Sparta still had major issues with each other. Stunning is certainly accurate.

Powerful. That's it. Batman is driven, really driven, and he kinda scares me. Stewart... I just vaguely recall that he's an architect and then I think of my goofy best friend back home and I just can't take him seriously. With Wonder Woman I am quite suddenly very aware of the fact that she could put her foot through my chest; probably without slowing down.

So, out of the two entering, she's the one I bow my head to in a respectful fashion while he is the one I pretend not to notice scanning me from top to bottom.

"He is human, though... I think. Ring's not sure on some of the structures in him." That's Stewart to Batman. Iiiinteresting. Unsurprising, too. Guess the thing had put me back together better than I thought. Ooh, I think Batman had noticed me staring at Wonder Woman. "And that's a power ring all right. Just not one my database is familiar with."

"Far as I'm aware it's the only one that exists. You're looking at Agent Puce, First and Only Lantern of the Puce Lantern Corps! Ugh, need a better name." That got me some interesting looks. Wonder Woman... okay, actually, I needed to correct this. I held up a hand as if I was in class again and then pointed to you.

"Okay, so, I know who Stewart is because he doesn't even wear a tiny mask-"

"Hey!"

"So I don't mind just calling him Lantern Stewart. And as for Batman my money is personally on Lex Luthor-" Someone, who most definitely wasn't Batman, almost had a little snigger at that. "But I'm happy to call him Batman. It just fits him. However! Wonder Woman. I can't keep calling you that. Would you mind if I use your first name, or would you prefer Princess?" She gives me an odd look that mostly just makes me feel a bit weak in the knees for not being quite as polite as perhaps I should have been.

"Very well. You may refer to me as Diana... if you answer our queries." I shrug. No big there. Not like I was planning to not answer their queries... just, perhaps, not entirely honestly. I would hope they don't use her lasso on me but I know they will. "You must understand we are in a difficult position; you have come here and done some very antagonistic things. We must be sure you are not intending to cause harm to the people of this world."

See, this is why I like her more than the rest. Batman's fucking nuts, Superman is dull, Flash is lazy, and the Martian Manhunter is amazingly bland for such an interesting character. And then she holds up the damn shiny rope on her belt. Yeah, I expected that. "In order to quickly determine your innocence in as un-invasive a fashion as possible, I should like to use this on you. It will compel the truth, whole and unvarnished."

She can see me hesitate. They all can. I can remember a Ricky Gervais movie I always had a soft spot for, wherein humanity had never evolved the ability to lie. But, more than that, the mere concept of withholding the truth had never come into being. Every was completely honest about what they were thinking of one another, all the time, and it was... unpleasant.

"... I would like something from you in return, but I hope that it's not a huge condition considering it's just a matter of courtesy. Your word that you shall not ask me anything personal while I'm under the influence of that, nor will you allow anyone else to do so. I'm happy to answer whatever questions you have about Joker, my powers, whatever. I'd just rather not spill my personal history without any control over what I'm saying."

For some bizarre reason she seems pleased by that request, and looks to Batman. He inclines his head, and not in a particularly grudging fashion either. Huh. Maybe I've ended up in a DC universe with actually reasonable Leaguers? That'd be kinda neat, actually.

"Very well! in the name of Dikē I swear to do as you have asked." Huh. Don't know that god. Minor deity? Probably agreements or justice or something like that. Nice to know she respects the entire pantheon. If that's the case, I nod and wait for the lasso.

She doesn't make to bind me with it, just puts it around my chest. I look up at her and wait for the questions. Fuck, she looks weird. Everything is just out of proportion for a modern person. Guess that's what you get when a bunch of backwards idiots put together their perfect champion based on standards several thousands of years out of date.

"What did you do to the Joker?" I turn to face Batman with incredulity all over my face. Seriously, he's asking me that again? Guess dressing up like a flying rodent doesn't actually mean you're all that smart. What a jackass.

"Did you ignore me before, or are those ears just for show? I did what you were too chickenshit to do and took him the fuck out! Everything that was the Joker I destroyed. I burned those stupid chemicals out of his skin and hair, I altered his bone structure, I annihilated his aberrant brain structures and, in doing so, I removed all that made the Joker into himself from this world."

Ah, fantastic, I can talk for much longer before I need to take a breath now! I stand up, lasso still draped over me, and lean right into Batman's personal space like he did mine. "And I wouldn't have had to if you weren't too much of a worthless fucking pussy to slip some fucking Strychnine into his food. I know you have some!"

"Why did you do it?" Wonder-Tits tries to get me off the Bat by distracting me with another question, because of course I'm compelled to answer her stupid questions. This is obviously a comic universe because her brains must be inversely proportional to the size of her inflated chest.

"Why? Why! You have to ask me that! Shit, isn't it obvious you incredible fucking whore? Because the Joker was as much of a monster as anything in this world and you of all people should have put a sword through his head years ago!" I turn away from her and back to Batman.

"Do you have any idea of the number of lives that would have been saved if you'd just manned up and done away with the clown after the first time he broke out? Do you have ANY comprehension of the SHEER NUMBER of lives that you and yours have RUINED with your inaction! NO! It goes BEYOND that! NONE OF YOU UNDERSTAND THE SHEER DAMAGE THAT YOUR LEAGUE OF SO-CALLED JUSTICE CAUSES JUST BY ITS VERY EXISTENCE! NOT A ONE OF YOU WILL EVER FACE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DEVASTATION YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CAUSED, THE LIVES DESTROYED, THE LIVELIHOODS RUINED BY INCHES WITH YOUR EVERY SINGLE CHOICE! IF I HAD MY SAY THE LOT OF YOU WOULD BE TOSSED INTO THE HEART OF THE NEAREST STAR SO THAT THIS WORLD WOULD NEVER AGAIN HAVE TO SUFFER FOR YOUR GROSS INABILITY TO CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT YOU D-"

I slam my head into the table, face-first, and as I reel back from the phantom pain I jerk the ring off my finger and slam it down on the table. That... that was not pleasant. Felt like... well, I would be the first to admit that the ring chose me for a damn good reason; that being I have quite a lot of contempt for quite a lot of things.

This was... it was like the introspective properties of the lasso interacted poorly with the ring's innate magnification of that contempt. Puce, I'd have to guess, was somewhere close to Red and Purple, or Indigo or Violet or whatever you want to call it, in terms of mental instability.

Two of the three Leaguers in the room are staring at me; the third is still Batman. Diana removes the lasso from me with a sombre expression and I nod thankfully to her. It takes me a few moments to catch my breath, upgraded body or no.

"I... um... sorry. Ring's powered by contempt. Tends to, um... magnify." I've got nothing else to say in my defence for that outburst, except to glare at my ring. Did it know what was going on? I've always been unsure of how intelligent they are. "Ring, can you hear me?"

"It is so."

The voice is audible for everyone, and rather unpleasant. It sounds a lot like me; only much, much more sarcastic. Which is a feat, considering my teachers used to have difficulty differentiating between my 'sincere' voice and my 'sarcastic' voice. Maybe it's patterned its speech off mine due to lacking a proper database for English. I shake my head, and keep glaring at it.

"Don't do that again. Next time I'm getting into a... a state like that I want you to remove yourself unless doing so will kill me. Understand?" It sits there, somehow managing to look almost sheepish. Neat trick for an inanimate object.

"It shall be done."

"Right." I look up at Batman and wave at the ring. "Can you... can you hold on to that for me? Just while we're still, um... talking. Just don't touch it." He's already got a little box and a pair of tongs in hand and is scooping the ring into it.

"I think I can do that. Why don't we handle the rest of this interview somewhere more pleasant than an Arkham interrogation room?" I nod, gratitude overwhelming me. That would be nice. This place is already starting to feel oppressive. Lantern Stewart gets the door and we all go out, Batman taking up the rear.

Not sure where they'll take me, but it has to be more pleasant than where we are now.

 

[TotalAbsolutism]

Stewart is the one to carry me. I suppose that only makes sense. Turns out that without the ring on I retain my mild vertigo. It's not a fear of heights so much as it is a fear of depths. Thank you, Rincewind. The journey is quite short; although I'm voluntarily blindfolded for it. A flash of bright white light and a mechanical voice reading off names gives me some suspicion as to what's going on, however.

When the green blindfold came off I found my feet were resting on a nice carpet… somewhere. It was hard to tell. Looked just like an office building. I resisted the urge to look behind me but I did notice that Batman didn't seem to be around.

"Recognised; Wonder Woman, zero three." The light flashed again and this time I did turn. Sure enough, there was Diana walking out of a large metal tube. Seems I knew where I was. Not when, of course, but almost certainly where.

I didn't resist when she put a hand on my shoulder and gently moved me out of the room. Didn't recognize the corridors, or the carpets. Expected I would've. Maybe they'd remodelled? Or hadn't, as the case might be. It felt almost like an office building.

More than that, I really didn't foresee where we ended up. It was just like a bog-standard conference room. Nice carpeting, soft chairs, a good round table. Diana sat opposite me, Stewart to one side.

"We'd like you to explain what happened earlier, from the beginning, in your own words. Then we'll try and decide what to do." I nodded. Seemed reasonable enough to me. Stewart chimed in as well; he was, from memory, the most polite Lantern I could've gotten. Much better than Jordan, and apparently the ginger one was just a bit of a dick.

"You've been cooperative, and that is a point in your favour, but you showed up in a restricted area with something very dangerous." So they were a bit wary. That was fair. I started, in a halting fashion, to explain everything I could. At some point Stewart got up to get me a glass of water. Probably could've done it with his ring, but perhaps he was trying not to put me on edge.

There wasn't a lot to tell, although I had to spin it a bit. That was a particular talent of mine. Not lying, since I had no doubt Diana was good at seeing through those even without the lasso, but presenting the truth in a particular way.

I'd woken up in space with the ring fixing me up. Once we'd gotten through the details of that, and my description had made the Green Lantern a little greener, I went on to describe how I'd scanned for planets and made contact with earth. My downloading of a few publically accessible databases wasn't something I made a secret of, although Stewart seemed concerned by it.

In the end it all came down to the Joker. I'd managed to imply that I'd come across him during my research on the planet and the Contempt effect had spiralled from there. They seemed to accept that. However, there was something I did need to make clear.

"In the end, what I did to him was still my choice. It can't… it didn't generate feelings for me whole-cloth. Just made me more susceptible to them. On some level I had to believe in what I was saying or doing." Diana hadn't really stopped looking a little sombre this whole time, but she did grow a little worse at that. I hurried to clarify.

"I really don't think you're bad people! Or that you mean any harm. It's just... " How could I put this to them in a way they would understand? Not agree with, necessarily, but at least grasp where I was coming from. "Look… could I have the lasso again, please?" That seemed to surprise them.

"I did not intend to put you under it again after your earlier… reaction. It seemed unwise to re-expose you." I shake my head. No, that just won't do. They'll never be able to fully trust me without it. Batman would eventually want me to do it again anyway, if I knew anything about him.

"Without the ring on I'll be fine. So I need the lasso, because I need the ring back, and the only way you'll trust me with it ever is if I say stuff under the influence because as far as I'm aware it's the only artifact around that can force the whole truth out of me." Stewart raises an eyebrow and leans over the table a bit.

"If you're hoping to convince us to give it back you aren't doing a great job, kid." I sigh, leaning on my forearms. Can they keep it from me, really? I don't know. Surely they have some sort of homing function. I should've thought of that earlier, but taking it off hadn't been part of my plan.

"Lasso. Please. My story is a little fantastical otherwise." Diana shares a look with Stewart but, eventually, she accedes to my request and gently lays the lasso about me again. This time it feels far less unpleasant. Kind of warm, in fact. I close my eyes for a moment and think about what to say, and how.

I start at the beginning. My full name, date of birth, location of birth; suggesting that Stewart take a moment to look it up while I talk. He seems to do so, and I continue as a bewildered expression begins to grow on his face. I elaborate somewhat as to my life before this moment, what I last remember doing and then, the big thing.

"So, I fall asleep in my bach on the Kaipara and wake up in the Mars-Jupiter asteroid belt with a power ring on and most of my body being stripped to the bone by constructs." Hah. That got a jolt out of Stewart there. "When I went to sleep I was a slightly overweight, very white, vaguely ginger young man with glasses. Current President was still Barack Obama, current Prime Minister of New Zealand was John Key."

"None of that is true here." Stewart has been flicking through a green screen projected from his ring for the past few minutes. I'm sure he's right; case in point, myself. Near as I can tell the ring decided that since I partially self-identify as being Maori I ought to look the part. I'm also a lot more ginger than I looked before. With my old glasses still on that must look rather odd.

"Yup. The last two bits are even more unbelievable. The ring isn't from here either. It told me that it was undergoing construction when it was hit with a Bleed Fracture Weapon. Tore through time and space, by way of my dimension, and dumped me out into space. I was the nearest source of Contempt, I think, so it latched on; but I can't be sure.." Part of me had been wondering if anyone else had come through with me. If they'd suffocated in the void while I was still unconscious.

I'd have to go back and check later. Or… maybe not, actually. I didn't want to know. "It was also just recently twenty-sixteen when I left. Early January." Stewart shakes his head, projecting something for me to look at. A newspaper image?

"First of July, two-thousand and ten. Welcome to the past, kid." Not quite. I frowned and pushed the news image to one side. That wasn't quite accurate.

"The last thing is that none of you exist where I came from. No aliens on Mars, no Kryptonians, the Amazons were real but they died out a long, long time ago and Atlantis is an ancient fable by Plato that's become the new 'Holy Grail' of New Age Woo-Woo." Ah. That sincerely startled them. After a few more perfunctory questions they took the lasso back and left me there, albeit with refreshments and the television remote, to discuss in private.

I flicked through news channels for a while. It was just what I expected, for DC. Nothing about my antics in Gotham, but plenty of disasters, supervillains and… huh, alien invasion in a coast city just the last week. Maybe it was worse than I thought.

The next person to come in was Batman; perhaps an hour or so later. He sat down opposite me and crossed his arms. Seriously, was this how he got criminals to confess? The man made me feel guilty just by watching. Eventually he spoke; likely seconds before I cracked under the pressure.

"Your ring. I took it over to Star Labs for some analyses. It destroyed quite a few very expensive instruments when we tried to scan it." I shrug, but say nothing else. It's not like I ordered it to do that. He regards me with some scrutiny before unfolding his arms and relaxing a bit. "We are considering returning the power ring to you, conditionally." Yes! That was what I liked to hear. I could feel myself smiling; but I wasn't out of the woods yet, because Batman held up a hand to forestall my enthusiasm.

"I would like you to speak with a psychologist, first and foremost. Then we'll negotiate from there. This is a difficult situation for all of us; you lack any legal identity in this world. In a very real way your entire existence is dependant on our good will." Knowing Batman, that wasn't meant to be as much of a threat as it sounded like.

"That seems… fair. I assume you have one in mind." He stands abruptly and move out of the room; obviously intending for me to follow. I do so, trying to glean our location from the surroundings. It's all quite neat, almost like an office building, but looks nothing like what I remember of the 'Hall of Justice', or whatever it's called here. I consider asking but decide that might give too much away.

The therapist, as it turns out, is Dinah Lance; aka Black Canary. I don't let on that I recognize her, at least I hope not, but Batman probably picked up something. At least I have an excuse prepared for if he does ask. He doesn't yet, though; instead just leaving me in a nice office with a sea view that I have a sneaking suspicion is fake with a cheerful older woman.

That thought came out dirtier than I intended. Still. She directs me to sit down in a comfortable chair and we start talking about me. There's a lot to talk about. If this world is even remotely like the comics then I must be a shock for her; a real person with real issues. So I'm open. We talk about depression, about why I think I'm a bad person and why all my friends insist I'm not, about my feelings of helplessness when faced with problems I can't solve.

There's certainly an odd look on her face at the end of it all. Meanwhile, a thought has occurred to me. I look over at Dinah with a faint frown.

"Is this really helpful to them? Aren't you supposed to hold what I say to you confidential?" I think she looks pleased. Without the ring on my ability to accurately judge people's emotional states has been severely diminished.

"Yes, there is a certain degree of confidentiality but we have a system in place." I roll my eyes. Sure they do; and it's probably, 'Batman owns the computer so he gets to see whatever he likes'. She notices that, however, and shakes her head. "Not like that. Batman completed the requisite training courses, so he's licensed as well. I can share this with him, if you're willing, as a… consultation. He'll keep it confidential as well."

Huh. Bat-therapist, eh? That's… a little surprising. Now that she's said it I can see why he'd do that, though. Must be good when he's taunting villains. Really lets him get under their skin. Or, perhaps, he genuinely wants to help them; although I feel the ship has long sailed on most of those fronts.

"Alright then. You can tell him, I don't mind." She stood up and took a scrap of paper then wrote on it. I took it when offered and found it had her name, and phone number. "Whatever they decide, you can feel free to call me if you need to talk." Then I found myself being lead back to another room, this time by an inconspicuously armed guard.

Instead of another member of the Justice League I found myself meeting with a proctor for some examinations. Quite simple, he told me, and just designed to gauge my approximate education level. When I asked why, and as to the purpose of this place in general, I was informed that this was a special facility for testing potential applicants to the League; not the actual 'Hall of Justice' itself.

The tests were easier than I expected. My beliefs meant the ring hadn't been able to touch large parts of my brain directly, but it had done something to me because I found the information I reached for coming far easier than it ever had. I was only able to manage Mathematics up to mid-Secondary level even then, but my English scores were easily University quality. It felt weird to actually be able to write an essay and feel confident about it.

Then there were a battery of medical tests. They took blood samples, skin samples, hair samples, took my blood pressure, checked my pulse while exercising, and more besides. At the end they told me that my body was, frankly speaking, perfect. Everything was optimised to the extreme, and then some. They also confirmed the existence of strange biological architectures in my body put there by the ring, but didn't know what they were.

However; after I'd informed them I didn't feel pain and they'd carefully taken a slice of skin from my arm to study in depth, with permission, I noticed that it had scabbed over rather quickly. When one of the nurses came to wash my arm and bandage it they found that, to their great surprise, it was already healed. That lead to a quick theory by one of the Doctors who eventually stuck a needle into my spine to extract the contents of one of the odd new organs I had.

In the end they gave me the green light for health and promised to keep me appraised of any developments; plus I finally got some actual clothes. Afterwards, I was escorted back into a room with a League member. Specifically, Green Lantern Stewart. This felt more like it would be more of an interrogation than an interview.

"I've spoken with the Guardians about you." Ah. He'd told the Smurfs. My improved recall was reminding me of a lot of unpleasant things about them that implied I might just like to keep myself, and my ring, away from them. "They wanted me to hand over that Power Ring to them." Nothing else said. Just watching me, eyes glowing green. If his ring wasn't feeding him my biometric data then I'd be very disappointed in him.

"But you said no." He slightly inclined his head. Not quite a yes, but not quite a no either. "Well, I'd hope you did; it's not yours to give, or theirs to claim. I surrendered it to the League under the assumption I would, well, get it back." There's a moment of silence and then he makes a projector construct. On the far wall from us it put out a full-colour display of a laboratory somewhere, the Puce Ring sitting quiescent on a table.

The machine above it activates and shines a light down upon it, there's a flash of Puce energies and then the scanning device explodes. I wince. That… looked really, really expensive. My ring then rises and slams into the wall. Said wall cracks. It does so again, until a green bubble surrounds it; Lantern Stewart is on screen, containing it. He seems to be struggling to do so.

"That thing is a weapon. A very powerful weapon. You're just some random kid from another world. What makes you think you can claim it?" This… doesn't feel like a real question. He's already made his choice about what to do, and now wants me to either justify it to him or change his mind. Probably not the latter. Will is stubborn.

"Because it's mine. It chose me. I might as well ask what right you have to yours. It's not one they or any of theirs made, nor is it even from this universe, and nor am I. Even if I was…" I look hard at him, although I can't really match an adult superhero for grim stares just yet. Still, I've wanted to bring this up for years. "It's not like you have any legitimate authority here anyway." Much to my surprise, that brings him up short.

"What do you mean by that?" Wait, seriously? He's never considered… or noticed. Wow. That's, uh. Okay. I don't know whether to laugh or pity him.

"So you've never noticed that you work for an interstellar paramilitary group that acts on foreign worlds without oversight or permission?" Ah, he bristles at my… well, I'd call it an accusation but it's really an observation more than anything.

"One of the principles of the Book of Oa is acting within the bounds of local authority." Yeah, that's true. Except he forgot about the last little bit, didn't he? 'Within reason'. Still, I'm not going to win this argument. Not without a detailed look at what the Guardians have really been doing here.

"Yeah, fair enough then." I could bring up the Paladin Fallacy; is he Lawful, or Good? Is the Law more important, or doing the right thing? But then we'd end up getting into a debate on absolute versus relative morality and, given I'm literally in a universe where Hell exists, I'm not sure I can win that debate either. Hm. I'll have to add that of my list of things to do. "Even so. It's not yours to take."

"He's right." The door didn't open. I know the door didn't open because I was facing the door. Batman doesn't seem to care about that. No powers my recently-browned ass. He must have ninja magic. It's the only possible explanation. "It's not ours to take. However, in light of your psych report you must understand why I'm disinclined to let you have it back…" My head dips. Well, looks like I'm going to have to do something drastic. "... without some conditions."

… nevermind then. I sit up attentively, ready and willing to listen. "We've got a new team that we're putting together. A little more low-key than the League itself." Ahahaha, yes, I knew that was where I was. Freaking awesome. "Some of the members in similarly difficult states as yourself and need… careful management." Sweet! I have to avoid fist-pumping, or grinning too widely.

"You'll need to attend weekly psychiatric evaluations, attend regular training sessions with one of the Green Lanterns and keep ring usage outside of missions to a minimum. But, since I know from your evaluation that the last one will be very difficult for you, I will at least recommend you remove it to sleep." Ah. I shift in place for a moment and he somehow manages to raise an eyebrow. How can I even tell he's doing that?

"I… have significant Contempt for the concept of sleep. Developed a hatred of it over the last few years. It's likely that my need for it has been engineered out of my body by the ring." Batman very noticeably doesn't sigh, or make any sound of disappointment. He doesn't have to. There's just this… this feeling that he's disappointed in you and that you should feel terrible.

"Then the order you gave it will have to suffice for now." He pulls out a little box from behind his back and opens it. My Puce ring flings itself out of it with a sharp crack of something accelerating to supersonic speeds and halts just in front of me.

"Homing protocols fulfilled. This terminal is now ready for use, Agent Puce."

"I thought I… ugh, forget it. New order, all ring-based policy decisions are not to be enacted if I am currently wearing the ring."

"It shall be done."

I look up at Batman and see a faint glimmer of approval there. We both understand this is a powerful item, but with potential for great mental contamination. So long as I'm taking the appropriate precautions then he should trust me.

The ring slides home on my finger. There's a flicker as the environmental shield pops back up around me. My senses expand again as the ring takes over augmenting them; with some of my senses being slaved directly to low-key scans from the ring. If I wanted to I can focus on the walls and 'see' through them.

Warning; this terminal did not enact previous order due to duress and capture protocols. Does Agent Puce wish to enact Termination of captors?

"Gah! No, you stupid thing, I'm… hold on." I focus my will at the damn ring and assure it that I am not being held against my will. Then I glare at it and remove it again. "I said; all ring-based policy decisions are not to be enacted if I am currently wearing the ring."

"It shall be done."

I look up with a sheepish grin as I slip it on again. "Ah, sorry. It has, uh, 'duress' protocols. The situation seemed to make it think you were keeping me prisoner." Lantern Stewart was surprised again, but Batman wasn't. With my enhanced sight I was able to see enough of his pupils to notice his eyes flicker to Stewart's ring. Did… did the Green Lanterns not have those? I kept looking at him as he returned his gaze to me.

… they totally didn't. I bet they didn't have homing protoco-... oh, of course. The Guardians set up the software for the Greenies. They couldn't set their own protocols. That might make things interesting. Still, I allowed myself to float just off the ground and saluted. So this is what it felt like, huh? Felt good. "Agent Puce, reporting for duty. Please help me figure out a better name as soon as possible."

That actually got a chuckle from Stewart. Not so much from the Bat. He just stood to lead me away, when I had a thought for something I needed to test. "Ring, contact Lantern Stewart's ring."

It cannot be done.

"Not on the network, huh?"

Affirmative.

"Damn. Well, I guess that would've been too easy. Ah, sorry about that Stewart; just thought it'd be good to test if my ring could call local Power Rings. No dice." He nods, understanding. Very good. Batman noticeably does not make any signs of impatience, so I hurry up and follow him. We head back to the room with the tube and Batman stands in front of it.

"Recognize B Zero Eight., 'Agent Puce'." I have to resist the urge to facepalm. Of course he would. Batman is a known troll. Really, I should've known better. He gestures for me to step in and I do so. There's a bright light.

"-ed; Agent Puce, B Zero Eight." Yup. That's exactly where I thought I would come out. Not squeeing is pretty difficult. There's another glow behind me. "Recognised; Batman, Zero Two." He walks right past me, I hover nonchalantly behind him. Up ahead I can hear voices… but not the ones I expect. There's someone standing just beyond the door up ahead.

Woah. That's Cyborg. Only it's not the one I was expecting. Is this... Young Justice: War, or something? Is that even a thing? Batman nods to him as he steps through the door.

"Quiet, all of you. I have your last team member. Agent, if you will." I float through the door and look at the team with a purposefully neutral expression. This is… unexpected. On so, so many levels.

"Great, so we get the discount Lantern? Couldn't spare one of the real colours, huh?" Kid Flash. He was expected. That barb was just a little bit more mean-spirited than I had thought he'd be but, then again, I remember the situation that he's in right now. Still probably upset over Speedy walking out. Assuming that still happened.

"At least this one is not another bumgorf." Then the surprises start coming in, because that is Starfire. Pre-season Starfire, if her battle gear and harsh demeanour are anything to go by; but by the hope in her tone the 'her' I remember is still in there. Really wish I'd looked up… actually, Ring?

The language is Tamaranean, and the term equivalent to 'child'.

Oh. Well, that's not so bad. Automatically translate those for me from now on, alright? I look over the rest of the team with no small amount of confusion as one of them steps forward and offers a hand.

"I am Aqualad; although my friends refer to me as Kaldur. I hope you may come to do the same." I take his hand, what a firm grip, and shake it. He's exactly as polite as I what little I remember from the cartoon implies. Then there's a green blur and, subsequently, a green dog looking up at me with huge eyes. Which quickly becomes a Beast Boy. His outfit doesn't look quite like the Doom Patrol one, but he still has an adorably dorky helmet slash mask.

"Wowie, are you really a Lantern? I've never seen one in that colour before, so I thought they only came in green." I shake my head, forcefully resisting the urge to pat his head. He's just so freaking cute, holy shit. Kid Flash snorts and rolls his eyes. Starfire does the same; they do not seem to like each other.

"So I know Green is Will. What does that make you?" Robin. Teen Titans age Robin. He'd be, what, sixteen? Seventeen? That makes me probably the oldest team member, since I'm guessing that Cyborg is actually meant to be our, ah… caretaker instead of Red Tornado.

"Contempt." I almost didn't see her. She's good at fading into the background. Even so, I was unprepared for the reality that is Raven. Now is a very good time to remind myself that she's not even fifteen yet. Very important to remember that. "It's rolling off him in waves. Like he hates us." Well, first thing's first then; I pull off the ring and drop a few centimetres to the ground. She blinks.

I stick it in my pocket and, with my fingers still touching it, think hard at it. Ring, nonverbal responses only; two short buzzes for no, one long for yes. Can you still hear my thoughts if I remain in contact? There's a long buzz. Alright, I can work with it. If you detect any direct and immediate threat to my wellbeing, transfer on to my finger as soon as possible.

A long buzz. With that done I pull my hand out of the pocket.

"That's right. My name is Huria Hakena, and my designation is Agent Puce. I am the highest ranked, and only, member of the Puce Lantern Corps; wielders of the light of Contempt." It goes down about as well as I expected. And, after wiping the floor with him during sparring practice later, I was eventually able to forgive Kid Flash for laughing so hard he fell over.

 

[TotalAbsolutism]

I looked over the team as Wally got over his giggle fit; taking stock of the situation. Not the group I had expected. Whatever foreknowledge I might have was now rendered suspect by the presence of Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy. Not that I was even remotely disappointed by them being here. Robin was giving me a low-power 'Look' that seemed to indicate he didn't actually know I was coming.

"Man, this bites. When Cyborg said we had another teammate I was sure that Speedy was coming back." Thank you, Wally. Way to make a guy feel welcome. I sigh, allowing the ring to float right back onto my middle finger where it belongs. The placement choice is not accidental.

"You'll just have to make do." I dismiss his concerns with a wave of my hand. As if a mere archer could match a Lantern; crippled or no. "Trust me, you've got the best of this deal." Ring, can you accelerate my perception speed if you have to?

It can be done.

Well, that's just excellent. If you detect anything hazardous above my tracking speed on a collision course please do so.

It shall be done.

"I'm sure he'll be just swell." Oh, Garfield, I seriously need to give you a hug little guy. Wally just looks at me as I'm issuing the commands and rolls his eyes. Was he this much of a little shit in the TV show? I remember he was a bit of a dick to Artemis… hopefully we get her, too. I'm looking forward to snarking with her.

"We know what Speedy can do; but we don't know what good you are." Gah… actually, I take the ring off again. Robin's probably noticed that. At least the man in question isn't here, or else I'd have to face Kaldur's awkward attempts to make peace between us..

"Technically, I've had this ring for…" I hold it up as it buzzes the information into my head. Huh, that long? "A little under forty-eight hours." That gets an incredulous look from most of them. Unfortunate; I'd hoped for a little better from some. Then again, most of them are not used to actual socializing.

"So you are still a… 'rookie', then?" Ah, darn. Starfire's gone from supportive to disapproving in a heartbeat. Nice to see some element of her show personality, even if it's just the mercurial nature. Cyborg walks over and pats me on the shoulder; damn, he looks odd. Still, his appearance is pretty cool.

"C'mon, team, give him a chance. I ended up fighting Darkseid and saving the world on my first day on the job. Experience isn't everything." Aha, it seems not all of them had heard that little anecdote! Because Raven seems to recognize the name, as does Starfire. That does confirm things for me, though.

"He's right, you know. I mean, I spent most of that time semi-conscious in space as the ring flayed me to the bone and put my body back together so I wasn't terribly designed any more." That gets a round of blank stares and a few steps back from Raven. "But, I am here for a reason." I cast a glance over at Batman and he slowly nods. "So far, I've taken out more villains than you, though; for good, that is."

"And what does that even mean?" I lean back a bit and smirk over at Wally. Then I lock eyes with Robin before I answer.

"I cured Jack Napier; and, in doing so, I destroyed the Joker forever." A pin could have dropped. Robin looked to his teacher for confirmation, and got it. His eyes were gratifyingly wide. Starfire obviously didn't understand, and Raven seemed to be drawing a blank as well, but the rest of them? Heh.

"And what the hell does that even mean?" Oh, Wally. Never change. Actually, yes, change; and fast. I actually like your character, but not when you're being a condescending asshole.

"It means I flooded his body with the Light of Contempt and burned out every part of him that made him the Joker, then rebuilt him as the sane man he once was." That got a gasp from Raven. Yeah, she understands the implications. There's some potential in there for you, isn't there? Heh. "I don't know what… lessee... two of you can do; but from what I can see I'm the heavy artillery option here."

The ring slides back on to my middle finger, the choice still not being an accident, and my environmental shield returns. "Now, could someone show me to my room? I've got a few adjustments to make." Just like that, the first meet and greet is over. Cyborg gives all of us the tour of the place; turned out the others had only just arrived as well. It would seem that we are not in Happy Harbour, either; that place doesn't exist in this timeline.

Well, the base at least. The town probably exists. They tunneled out this structure underneath the crashed alien spacecraft above us and are using that as the framework to construct a tower complex. However, they've made the quite intelligent choice to construct the majority of the base's important structures down here. It's a little spartan, but suitable.

"Ah, pardon me?" I interrupt the tour as we're ending. Cyborg is about to dismiss us to claim rooms in the living area, I'm sure, and there's something I just recalled now. "I'd like to take a detailed scan of all of you. My Ring has a massive biological database, and if I combine that with a proper scan I'm confident that that I could heal you from anything short of total incineration." I pause. "And maybe even then."

Not all of them agree. Robin doesn't, but he's baseline anyway. Raven doesn't; possibly out of fear I might detect her demonic heritage? Cyborg begs off at the beginning, and I think I could guess why. Probably related to what I suspect is Reach tech used to make him. The rest don't seem to mind. I scan them in a circle of Puce light and command the ring to add the details to its database; it fuses them with the files it already has. No major deviations in most of them. Beast Boy confuses it a little, but I'm guessing that's due to the mystical origin of his power?

With that finally over, I sit in the middle of my room; ring off and hovering in front of me. This… is going to be tricky. I always thought that if this really happened to me I'd handle it a bit better, but turns out the kind of ring I'm suited for is rather… difficult. So I need to make a few more changes.

Let's see… ring? Map of the complex. Mark Cyborg for me, as well.

It is done.

Okay… building is not so much your forte right now, but we can definitely dig out something here. Hm. That's an idea. Yeah, okay. I slip the ring into my pocket and wander out in search of Cyborg; almost immediately running into Robin as I leave my room. He's giving me a… Look. Not even a proper Batman-like one. I give him a nod, and try to move around him. It doesn't work; he takes pace with me. We walk together in silence.

"I saw the video." I turn to look at him but don't break stride. He doesn't look angry. Pensive, sure, but not angry. We reach the stairs and I start taking them. Robin is… still coming with me. Am I supposed to say something? Does he want a response? "Why didn't you kill him? You clearly wanted to." Ah. Body language expert. Right. How do I put this.

"Where I come from, people actually die if you kill them. One and done. My initial research has lead me to believe that might not be the case here." I stop walking at the intersection some short ways from the elevator. My target has gone upstairs to work on securing some parts of the new building so I've got time to kill. Robin looks at me with interest. Perhaps I ought to have dug and tried to figure out if he's the first one?

"I used to play Tabletop a lot. Dungeons and Dragons was a particular favourite. There was a trope I used in relation to afterlives and evil beings and it was, more or less, that evil deeds were rewarded in the afterlife by evil gods. Why wouldn't they be? It made sense, in a horrible sort of way. Until I know this reality isn't like that I'm not killing anyone, especially if they deserve it." He's giving me his Look again. It's more curious than fear-inspiring. What's the word… inquisitive? Perhaps.

"That's what you were thinking, huh? I'm not sure I buy that." I nod, idly tapping the ring. Part of me really wants to put it on again and check my power. It's highly unlikely the extra second will matter, in the end. But it might. Best not to get into bad habits. Robin looks at me expectantly for a while until I remember were were actually talking.

"Sorry, I'm trying to be greedy." Oh. Oh! He does the thing! The one-eyebrow up look that I remember from the show. Wow, fanboy moment. I mean, did he do it that often? I don't think so. But it's so much better than his Look! I can just feel the sheer Contempt in his gaze. Like he's saying, 'Did you really just say that?' Ah… it might just be the show but damn if I don't have a soft spot for him.

So much so that I can't help but smile a little as I answer. He probably… no, he's definitely picked up on that by now. Oh well. "The ring is Contempt. A sense that something is worthless, or ought not be. Focusing on the things I want to do instead of the things I don't think should exist is helping me keep it off my finger. It's… addictive isn't the right word, but let's use it for now. With a lot of time, and a fair bit of therapy, I think I can get the hang of it."

He nods, digesting my statement. We stand there in silence as he continues to regard me. I mustn't look like much to him, in my forcibly un-dyed woolen jumpsuit. The time is starting to grate on me. I don't know how long I have before things start happening. Will we see the Light? Is Slade part of it? Trigon's return notwithstanding the Titans stopped a lot of really bizarre threats to their city, and the world, but the Team acted more internationally. Can't even count on the Apokalips angle because Cyborg's definitely from the War storyline.

"... you're right not to buy it, by the way." He looks back to me, not that he ever really looked away, but says nothing. I sigh and divert my own gaze down the corridor. "I wasn't thinking any of that stuff. It's just the justifications I've come up with since then. Truth is, I had just enough Contempt for the idea of being a murderer that it stopped me from popping his head off. Especially with knowing that he'd approve of me killing him, as well." Robin nodded grimly.

"He would. He really would." We share in a moment of commiseration at the nature of the Joker, and then brief yet transcendent glee as we both recall, simultaneously, that he's gone. It's a nice moment. Then he pats me on the shoulder. His attempts at emotional manipulation are… welcomed, actually. Mostly because I think the reason it's so clumsy in appearance is because it's genuine. He's actually trying to make me feel welcome.

… it's nice. I haven't thought about it since I arrived but I'm still more or less starved for human contact. So I don't mind so much. "Thank you." He retracts his hand and I straighten up a bit. "You were honest with me, so I'll return the courtesy. I don't trust you. It's nothing personal; we just don't know anything about you apart from the fact that you have a rather dangerous variant of a power ring." I nod. Fair enough. Actually, I really do appreciate that he's being up front about it.

"I don't take it personally. You were trained by Batman, so it's kind of to be expected. And… well, I won't say 'trust me' on this one but… if I thought I could handle it I'd already be halfway across the world fixing stuff. I know that I can't. Not yet, anyway." Can't afford to have him thinking ill of me. Not genuinely, at least. For as much as I'd like to think of myself as skilled my tactical skills are really… sub-par.

Down the way a door opens and Cyborg steps out of the elevator. He turns, seeing us standing there, and waves as he approaches. As much as I have a sort of fond nostalgia toward his Teen Titans look I do have to admit that the current shape is pretty cool.

"'Sup, newbie. Need something?" Robin deferred to me, since he had nothing to say to the big guy, and I pulled the ring out of my pocket, twirling it between my fingers. Had to wonder what kind of relationship he'd have with the team. Did he want to be our mentor, or one of the gang? Time would tell, I supposed.

"Yes, actually. I need to ask if I can excavate a chamber under the base. Wouldn't mind some help, actually. Not sure how much the ring knows about structural engineering," Cyborg scratches his chin for a moment and then projects a display of the building from his forearm. Hm. Does he like that name? Should I ask if I can call him Victor?

"How big we talking here? You can probably go reasonably large without damaging structural integrity too much. Bigger, if we reinforce it properly. What's this gonna be for, anyhow?" I smile. Looks like I've got the go-ahead.

"Containment. How much do you know about Lanterns?" He shrugs, and wiggles his hand in the universal sign for, 'More than you'd think, less than I'd like'. At least, that's how I choose to take it. "So, we usually have Personal Lanterns that we use to recharge. I don't. Instead, I have the inert Central Power Battery in subspace. My energy efficiency seems reasonably high but if I don't set it up soon I'll be… more or less useless."

Cyborg nods and starts walking back to the elevator. His projection starts forming a chamber underneath the building; connecting from one of the lower rooms. I continue with my estimates. "I don't know what sort of energies it's going to emit so, ideally, I'd like to go with a full-on exotic reactor containment type of build. A few metres of lead, faraday cage, who knows what else. Probably get Raven to help me with something for the emotional contamination as well."

"That's rather forward-thinking of you. Let's get it set up. Any sort of contamination it might release, I can scan for." I don't doubt that. The Father Box that his technology ate way back when is likely the most advanced thing on this planet. Hopefully it was properly and fully assimilated.

The process takes a while. I leave Cyborg about halfway through, Robin having already taken his leave of us, and head up to Raven's room. He can handle the final stages of reinforcement and construction. I offered to help but in the end we both agreed I ought to conserve power.

As I face the door I hesitate. This is… well, it's Raven. I don't know whether or not she's actually empathic but it's probably best to assume she is. Just be open, and honest, aaaaand fuckfuckfuck the door's opening on its own, keep it cool, keep it cool.

"What do you want?" Ah. I remember the voice. Unfortunately, I remember the tone as well. She's still wearing white, for now. For as much as I like the blue… it suits her. Maybe we can make it so she never feels the need to change.

"Ah. I need your help, if you don't mind." Her expression shifts into one I don't recognize. Then she nods slowly. "Right. I'm building a containment area for my Central Power Battery, underneath us. I was hoping you'd help me ward it against magic, and also any emotional contamination." She stares for a few seconds more then closes the door.

Some time later she comes back out with a trio of books under one arm and a leather bag under the other. Before I can say anything she's floating off, right past me and away. Wonder why she doesn't phase through the floor? Either way, I have to jog to keep up with her.

In the end, Cyborg digs out a secondary layer outside the first cavern that he says he'll fill with lead. His other precautions are sufficiently esoteric that the ring isn't sure what to think about them. Raven uses odd tools that barely look like tools at all to scribe mystical shapes on the innermost walls, muttering mantras to herself as she works.

When they're both done she gets him to scan her marks and make sure they're all regular. A few are touched up but by the end she seems satisfied. Now it's my turn. I'll pretty up the place a bit later, when I have more power. For now I select the precise middle of the room and release the battery from subspace. It's… pretty big.

Connect this Terminal to the Central Power Battery to activate it.

That easy, huh? Well, I guess I'll give it a shot. Do I have to say an oath?

Finalising the Oath of the Puce Lantern Corps is a priority. Your choice will establish the baseline for the Corps Members.

"Alright then. I'd back up, you two, I've got to connect the Battery. Not sure what effects this may have, but…" I take a look at Cyborg. "After I'm done, if I don't look like I'm stable, hit me with your most powerful non-lethal blast." He raises an eyebrow at my admittedly bizarre request. "If I have contempt for an attack I'll block it more easily. So weaker attacks are effortless to stop." He nods, and then frowns.

"That's messed up, man." I shrug in return. Yeah, it is, but what can you do? Well, work on focusing my Contempt. Now then… an Oath… I've been thinking about it for a while. Thankfully I am somewhat poetically inclined.

Focus your Contempt, and make the connection. Then speak the chosen Oath.

I hold out my hand as I try to focus on things. It's difficult to not just get angry instead, especially as I'm quite good at that. Contempt is a different flavour. Colder, more dispassionate. Things I feel have no value, on any conceivable level.

Peter Duesberg. House of Numbers. Miracle Mineral Solution. The Joker. That gets me into the right mindset, sure enough, with a fresh dose of resentment and disdain. It only gets more petty from there, in some ways. Little injustices, pointless suffering visited upon the people I care about. I close my eyes, focusing the thoughts like a knife's edge and forcing them out of the ring.

A beam lances from my right hand and into the aperture on the front of the battery. Unhealthy, dull light starts to flicker beneath the surface as I take a deep breath and begin to intone my chosen verse.

"The weakest lose, the strongest gain…"

I hear an intake of breath behind me. Raven. As it is now, I doubt she respects the start of my oath. The apparent sentiment isn't one I'd support either. Nevertheless…

"A world like this cannot remain…"

Pulses of Puce light surge from the Central Power Battery as it goes from a deep gray to the dullish brown-like colour that I'm used to.

"Beware our light, bringers of pain..."

A wisp of light leaking from the top forms a stable pillar around the entire structure.

"We'll tear you down…"

My hand feels hot. I think it might actually be stripping layers of skin off my arm.

"With our disdain!"

There's a final blast of light that nearly knocks me down. Instinctively I reach out and grasp it as it tries to push past me. All I can think of is not letting it strike the two behind me. It hesitates, quivering in place as the Central Power Battery attempts to establish an equilibrium. I focus on my oath and feelings of Contempt in order to seize control of it, force it back.

It's not easy. The Puce Light wants to fill the room. I'm pushing back against the wall of energy to the point where it's flayed my fingers down to the first knuckle. So glad I rewired my pain response right now.

If this were some touching emotional moment I'd feel a hand on my back, supporting me. Then I'd gain the strength I need to force this back. That's not going to happen here. It's all on me. My ring is buzzing as I start to push it back, forcing the rough globe of destructive energy to shrink. Do vague spheres of emotional light obey pressure physics? I bloody well hope they don't.

There's only a few feet between me and the Battery, now. The sphere is centred on the aperture's surface. As I push it eventually reaches a size such that it's flush with the opening. Then I cross my hands over each other and force it in. There's a final, piercing sound and the circuit finally stabilizes.

Central Power Battery is fully operational. This Terminal is at one-hundred percent charge. Congratulations, Agent; you have successfully established the Puce Lanterns Corps.

I breathe deeply, rolling my eyes. "Gotta do something… 'bout the name…"

Then, with far less ceremony than I'd have liked, I lose consciousness.

 

[TotalAbsolutism]

When I open my eyes the first thing to hit me is the phantom sensation that has replaced pain. It's incredibly distracting; which is, admittedly, just as I intended it to be. As soon as I acknowledge the sensation it diminishes greatly; that wasn't how I'd intended it to function. Which seems to imply I'm probably wearing the ring.

It is so.

Very good, then. Status report?

Agent Puce was incapacitated for approximately seventy-two local hours. Forearms were flayed down to the bone; remainder of body suffered only mild abrasions. Further progress on recovery cannot be completed at this time.

I frown and attempt to sit. There's a painful noise just at the edge of my hearing; a high-pitched whine of some sort coming from one of the instruments attached to me. It appears that I have been moved to some sort of infirmary. The sound really is irritating. Ring?

It shall be done.

The sounds of various machines silence; along with a good half-dozen other background irritations I was barely aware of. As I start examining my bandaged arms the doors open and Cyborg walks in. He looks relieved to see me sitting up and conscious. Various displays lower down and start to flicker to life as his gaze runs across me.

"Good to see you back with us. That ring of yours made things kinda tricky." I raise an eyebrow at him and glance down at my hands. Puce light shines out from under the bandages on my left hand. Should probably get it off soon. The ring, that is, not the bandages. Those can come off now. As I start to tear them off Cyborg reaches out in shock. "Hey now, easy! What're yo-..."

He trails off as I silently finished. My forearms are a hard, muscular mass that looks vaguely chitinous at the moment. The optimised architectures distributed around my body have been pumping out the necessary ingredients for reconstituting my ruined flesh with the minor side effect of making me incredibly hungry. If it weren't for the drip I'd probably be… oh, wait, no. There it is.

"I'm fine. Just… need a lot of high protein food. Fast." My arms are shaking. Looks like the ring helped to direct the reconstruction process but it's still had to cannibalise part of my musculature after clearing out my fat reserves. I'll need to upgrade further, and soon. Cyborg is giving me a look right now but the equipment is still upping the quality of my drip so that's nice.

"Kid… what have you done to yourself?" Hm. Not sure how to feel about that. The ring reacts to strong flashes of emotions but I only get the vaguest sensation of what they actually are. No empath, me. But I'm fairly sure he's not trying to condescend. Cyborg can't be that much older than me but from his point of view I would be a total newbie.

"Eliminated everything I hated about myself. Not entirely by choice, admittedly. It was already underway when I woke up." I hold out my arm and poke at the ring. Not taking it off until I'm healthy again. "And you can call me… Huria, I guess. Might end up changing that, but it's appropriate for now. I am twenty-one, as well. Not really a kid, you know?" The prior look melds into a new one as Cyborg… as Victor spots the obvious parallels. Sympathy, probably. Or at least empathy.

"The ring has a lot of data on alien biologies. It took everything that was compatible with me still being… 'human'... and then rebuilt me based on that." Not entirely sure of the details. My skin's probably equivalent to mid-range body armour. Bones would be as close to indestructible as you could get in non-magical materials. Excluding metamaterials. All senses increased to the maximum limit based on brain architecture and space available. And still technically human.

"I see." His expression tells me that he doesn't, not really. Victor Stone isn't stupid, especially not with the Reach-tech built into him, but he's not a biology major. Trying to explain the intricate details of my altered physiology would be pointless even if I could. Although maybe that stuff in him could help translate a bit. It really is quite nice. If it weren't for my personal issues around cybertech I'd be looking into it myself.

"I realise it's a bit…" Then I stop, and I really look at the situation. Cyborg… Victor's origin is very similar to my own, in a way. If you break it down to the barebones. He's almost certainly seeing himself in me right now. "Okay. I'll admit it's fucked up, and I suspect that I'll be speaking with my assigned therapist about it a bit. However, I feel much better than I have in a long time."

That's not a lie, either. Maybe it's to do with the alterations properly balancing my brain chemistry or maybe it's because of where I am but I really do feel pretty good. Victor gives me a long look that I can't decipher and then sighs.

"Alright. In that case, I think it's time for a good team bonding exercise! C'mon." My stomach loudly protested any course of action except eating at that moment. "We can take care of that too." As I try to stand I find I need to extend an environment shield around myself and enhance it a bit so I can use it as an assisted movement device. My current muscle mass is having trouble supporting my weight.

"Need a hand?" He doesn't move to help me automatically, which I appreciate. I shake my head and he lets me stumble along with him for about as long as it takes me to remember that I can fly. A dash of contempt for my infirmity gets me off the ground and trailing after him. "Good timing for you, actually. Just got in our last member today."

Huh. We've got the entire Titans roster plus him. Superboy? Was I out long enough for them to hit up Cadmus, then? I can imagine that going quite differently with Raven and Starfire. Particularly the former. Kinda hard to contain someone who can phase through walls. Especially since she'd be a complete unknown to them. Hopefully they didn't get any of Starfire's specs, though. Incorporating Tamaranean physiology into the Genomorphs could be troublesome.

We walk and float through the corridors and into an elevator. To my surprise it heads up. I know the personal rooms are all underground, but the original Titans Tower was not. Is it a fake or in use? The tour had the infirmary, labs, evidence room, gym and all that jazz still built underground as well.

The doors open to reveal a beautiful view of what I can only assume is… what was it called, Jump City? I can see a bridge in the background and the sky looks beautiful. Just shy of midday, I'd say. This area definitely looks like a briefing room. I suppose there's no reason to not have it be in the actual tower even if the thing as a whole is a red herring.

… wait, no. This will be the public meeting room. Duh. Making the new guy feel welcome. I do my best to smile as we move out of the elevator and I catch a glimpse of… huh. Not what I was expecting.

M'gann M'orzz is early. That doesn't bode well. Or does it? I need to find a reason to point the team at Cadmus as soon as possible. Not just for Superboy's sake. There's stuff there that I need. Her uncle isn't here, and she's nattering away at the team. Beast Boy… yeah, that's probably a crush. Wally is Wally. Robin and Aqualad are their usual selves too but Starfire actually seems to be enthused to be interacting with another alien girl.

I shift my gaze to the side and notice that Raven is off to one side watching the rest. Of course she is. She notices me first and we lock eyes for a few moments until an annoying voice cuts across our quiet moment.

"Oh yeah. And there's this guy too, I guess." Ah. Wally. I sigh and lower myself to the ground; supporting my movements with the ring as I walk to the others. "This is Agent Puce. He's a Puce Lantern." And then he smirks at me. Okay. I don't remember him being this much of a dick in the show but, then again, he was younger. So on the one hand I would have expected him to mature a bit. On the other hand…

Warning! Mental intrusion detected!

I turn to glare at the still-smiling M'gann as she floats over. Oh really? That does it. Ring? New protocol! In response to any attempt at mental intrusion induce in me the sensation of being burned alive, drowned and electrocuted. Begin.

Two things happen. My entire body starts to tingle as my nerves try to parse the sensations. It doesn't hurt me, it just feels weird. As for M'gann; her eyes widen, her skin pales and she starts to scream. The sensations end shortly after.

There's an immediate surge of confusion and concern. I see Raven watching me in horror; not endearing myself to her, am I? And then Wally rushes up to me and grabs me by the collar. I relax; not strengthening the environmental shield and allowing him to take hold of me.

"What did you do to her!" I give him one of my best Looks and then push him off me. It's hard; I need the ring-assist to make him stumble back. Just a few days ago I was stronger than him. Need food soon. M'gann has fallen back into a seated position and is staring at me in horror while Beast Boy tries to comfort her. He looks pretty distraught; I feel worse about that than anything.

"She tried to read my mind, and I applied the appropriate countermeasures. Excuse me." I shoulder past him and approach M'gann. She doesn't try to get away but she does flinch as I fix my gaze on her. There's a quiet hum at the edge of my hearing that's coming from Cyborg. He's powered up something but is just watching us for now.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't attempt to invade my mind without permission. Perhaps it was just instinctual and, if so, I apologise for my reaction. That said; my thoughts are my own. Alright?" She nods weakly and I offer my hand to her. M'gann doesn't take it; instead she lets Beast Boy help her up.

"Hell no! What is your problem, man? She was just being friendly and you attacked her!" And Wally's on my case again. I've been wearing the ring for an extended period so perhaps my judgement is slightly compromised. But I'm not going to let people in my head just like that.

"Friendly or not she isn't entitled to know what I am thinking." Beast Boy is still trying to soothe M'gann but I can catch a pensive look on Robin's face. Starfire doesn't seem to know what to think.

"What, you trying to hide something?" … alright. That does it. I finally turn to face Kid Flash with my most hateful expression on. Artemis was an unknown who he felt was replacing his friend so he was somewhat hostile to her. I'm even more unknown and just assaulted a cute girl. So I understand his antagonism. Doesn't mean I'm going to put up with it.

"Do we have a problem, Kid Flash? Because this issue you have with me seems a bit more personal." I'd genuinely like to know, as well. This can't just be because of Speedy deciding he didn't want to play with the rest of them.

"Yeah, we have a problem. You." Hm. Not anger any more. Is that fear? Afraid of me, or what I've done? "You showed up out of nowhere with a weird Power Ring and you're clearly unhinged. Robin showed us what you did to the Joker-" I look to him and he holds my stare evenly. Fair enough. I can't fault him that. "And now you just attacked Megan out of nowhere!" Fear wrought of legitimate concerns and anger about his missing friend being projected onto me, then.

"N-no… it's fine." Oh? The girl herself speaks. "Uncle J'onn said I shouldn't do that here on Earth. It was my fault." Not entirely true. I look over to her and her face has darkened with... with… hm. I don't recognise that emotion. Feels close to contempt, though. Shame? Sounds about right.

"As I said; if it was just an instinctual thing then I apologise for the extremity of my reaction. You, likewise, are forgiven." She looks relieved. Probably was frazzled by what I did to myself just to force her out. Wally still looks mad, though. "As for you, Kid. In the words of my countrymen; You wanna scrap, bro?" The mocking South Auckland accent I affect gets a giggle out of Beast Boy. Good, good.

"I don't think tha-" Cyborg, bless him, attempts to mediate. He was willing to watch for a time but now it's starting to escalate this is the right time to step in. Sadly, it's too late.

"Oh yes! You shall do the glorious battle to establish your strength! On my world, this is the 'custom', yes?" Ah, Starfire. I grin at her by way of answer. Even if it's kind of bloodthirsty in context her the expression is a familiar one of almost childhood glee. Cyborg sighs.

"Can't it wait? Huria, you know you're sti-" I wave a hand at him and shoot him a glare. He gives as good as he gets. Right. He's our caretaker. Not our age-appropriate friend. Well, he won't be that much older than me, I think?

"I promise I won't hurt him." That does it for Wally. He finally snaps. I know this because I barely hear him shout at me before suddenly he's rushing across the room with his fist already raising for a swing. I think he said something along the lines of 'Fuck you too', or somesuch.

I feel a little bad about this. Of course, I goaded him into this reaction but, at the same time, my reaction to M'gann was genuine. This confrontation was bound to happen at some point so might as well make it happen now. So let's see…

The ring has accelerated my perception so that I can see him coming but with my physical prowess alone I can't do anything to stop it. Wally's charging towards me like he's moving through treacle but, and this is crucial, he's getting faster by the second. I won't be able to react to the actual blow by the time he reaches me; this much I'm sure of.

Alright! Ring, can you help me extrude some studs from the point of impact? Wait until right before his punch hits.

It will be done.

Kid Flash speeds up over the next couple of seconds until he's moving faster than I can see; his fist slams into my environmental shield and suddenly time returns to normal. There's a tingling in my head and a hot, warm feeling around my ears and nose. I ignore it in favour of shifting my left leg forwards, twisting about my waist and swinging my right fist directly into his gut.

Everyone looks on in horror; from their point of view Wally just reeled back from me, clutching his hand and crying in pain, and then I socked him one. Well, almost everyone. Starfire is openly cheering me on. I shift and grasp Wally by the forearms; using the ring's assistance to haul him into the air. He's looking down at me with an expression that goes from anger to confusion to horror.

Huh. I'm bleeding from my nose and ears. That would be why.

"I'm going to make this as clear as I can, Kid." He stiffens up and I smirk a little. "You don't trust me? Well, I don't trust any of you. Nor do I trust anyone inside my head. I'm not going to apologise for wanting to keep my secrets to myself." I drop him with a little bit of a push. Kudos to him; he doesn't try and hit me again as I turn away.

"Oh yeah? What are you trying to hide?" There's a little gasp from Raven and Cyborg steps forward; clearly unhappy. Too late. It's been said.

"... hide?" I spin on my heel and advance on him; jabbing a finger into his chest. "I'm not allowed to have any privacy? Is that it?" Now Cyborg reaches for me, putting a hand on my shoulder to pull me back. I shake him off but I don't advance as Wally steps back; rather, I merely raise my voice as I go.

"FIne then, Wally!" His eyes widen and he retreats another step. "Let's share! Five days ago I woke up in space with a piece of unknown xenotech flaying me down to the bone so that it could remove every last thing I hated about myself! I don't know what happened to my family, my friends, or even my entire world! For all I know every single person I've ever cared about is dead! So please, allow me a little abrasiveness while I try to come to terms with that."

At last I turn and walk away; leaving the room in stunned silence. I end up getting into the elevator alone and fiercely slamming the button. Once the doors have closed I collapse into the corner, yank the ring off and look up at the camera in the top corner opposite me. "Hey, Cyborg. I'd, ah, appreciate if you could arrange for a wheelchair at… wherever I'm going. Just kinda hit a random button. Sorry about… yeah." There's no reaction for some time until the red light underneath the camera turns blue and then winks on and off.

The doors open shortly thereafter. No idea how he did it but, sure enough, there's a mechanised wheelchair waiting for me outside. It takes a lot of effort for me to pull myself upright and get into it; at this point, my body can only barely lift its own weight. Geez. Once I'm in it the chair starts to move on its own; startling, but not surprising. It heads through a sliding metal door into a vacant lobby and then out a pair of glass double doors to a paved path that winds down the side of the hill the tower is on.

We're located on an island; that was expected. Tower's still under construction which isn't as expected. I'm parked at an empty dock that faces away from the city; presumably to wait quietly and cool off until Cybor-

A muffled 'boom' from behind me and then the man himself steps on to the wood beside me. He stands there as I lean into the back of the chair and stare off into the distance. After a few minutes he finally speaks.

"You'll need to apologise to Kid Flash." I nod. Yeah. That's fair. "But so will he. To you. And M'gann already said she's fine. They're all going out for pizza. Team bonding, like I said. You still in, or…?" He trails off, and I wonder if there's a deeper meaning to his query. Probably not. Maybe so. Hard to say.

"... yeah. I'm in."