"I.. can't speak for anyone else, but… We started spending time together after I arrested her and started visiting her in prison in an attempt to reform her. You know what supervillain rehabilitation rates are like, and I-."
"No."
Because Sybarite is less interested in that side of things. He's practically a Slaanesh cultist...
"-wanted to-." I frown. "You don't?"
"No? Why would I?" He shakes his head. "I don't rehabilitate supervillains. That sounds like a long term project, and she's hot but she's not that hot."
Ah, that demonic short-sightedness. Thinking with his
other head most of the time too.
I just.. look at him for a moment.
"Okay, remember how when you first started working out how to fuel your ring." I nod cautiously. "Did you think about feeding it demons?"
Thankfully OL found Alan... So he didn't have to take such extreme measures...
"Yes, but-." I blink. "Ah." That's… I take a closer look at his desire networks, and… Yes, I see it now. Desires… Patched onto his psyche that aren't a complete match for the structures that arose naturally from his own thought processes. He's still a me, but a good chunk of his metaphysique is made of bits and pieces of other people's desires. Most likely torn from demons. "I was a demon for a while myself. How..? Are you alright with that?"
"At first it was strange, then liberating. I was constantly getting thrown out of my comfort zone, but I was managing, you know? I'm still me, but the illogical hesitancy is just gone." I nod. "And I still managed to do good work-. I enable Veronica to do good work."
To be honest, I think OL having the heart of the Ophidian for a soul is a step up from Sybarite's style.
"Veronica?"
"Roulette?" O.. h. I frown. "Low level supervillain and an excellent businesswoman? I handed her a load of schizotech and a few of my own ideas and she ran with it. We've revolutionised Africa's economy, and we'll do the rest of the world once they give up on the trade embargos. You… Not doing anything like that?"
Amazing how two people can diverge so much from the same starting point.
"I started a revolution in magical technology-."
"I wanted to do that." He shrugs. "Couldn't get the staff."
"Right, I've pretty much tapped out Atlantis. And I've been encouraging technological development."
And this is the fun part of them comparing notes. Getting
Ideas. Big
Ideas.
"What continent?"
"Mostly North America."
He shakes his head. "Too conservative. We bet that African countries would go along with whatever we wanted as long as we produced results, since we could outspend the competition and replace foreign companies. And we were right. No having to persuade paid-for legislators and vested interests."
Ah, the joy of the American system...
I nod slowly. "That… Might have been a better idea. How did your fight with Larfleeze go?"
He frowns. "Why would I go anywhere near the insane Mega-Lantern?"
Sybarite's under-levelled. Not every Paul started a golden path to Lantern Mastery munchkinry.
Ah. Now I'm feeling slightly b-
"Sybarite!"
-etter.
So, they're being sent home, one at a time, with jade in tow if possible? Amusing image.
"That's me."
He waves as he flies up to where John Stewart, Time Trapper and the newly remerged Red Queen are switching the portal between our home parallels. His Jade is there already -in manacles- and he says something which causes her to glare at him with disgust.
Probably propositioned her. Either for a job, or a
job...
Right, where did Alan's Jade get to?
Doesn't take me long to spot her, as she's one of the few Jades not under guard. She's floating just off the ground, talking to the former Anti-Green and now Gold Lantern version of me. I-.
Another good thing to come out of this episode. Our 'Ensemble Dark Horse' gets a new ride.
Angelika flies over to me. "Have they told you when we are going home?"
"We're last, I'm afraid." She nods. Krona apparently just threw her, Komand'r and mini-Jade into a time-locked prison. Which was a relief, because while I remember something about kryptonians spontaneously reanimating in the comics I haven't ever wanted to depend on it and I don't know of any other way to reliably resurrect her. "Are you..? Coming back with me, or going home?"
So, as far as they're concerned, it went from Luthor-tech factory to 'Job's all over' in the blink of an eye. Figures. Just when she was in the mood to punch things...
"I…" She takes a deep breath. "I think that I should like to come with you. I will send a message to Karl, but… I do not wish to be a… 'Nazi', but I do not yet.. know how to not be a Nazi. If I go home, I am… I am worried that I might… Fall back into my familiar behaviours."
Huh. Well, that's a big butterfly for her universe.
I nod, then open my arms. "Here."
She looks slightly surprised for a moment, then bows her head with a quiet chuckle before flying down and hugging me.
Something tells me she needed that. A
lot.
"That talk with middle-aged you really shook you up, huh?"
"She's younger than me, but… Yes." She sighs, pulling away slightly. "But in a good way." Another sigh. "In the long term."
I doubt she'll change her name. Overgirl (or Uber-madchen) works well enough whatever your philosophy. And we get to look forwards to a visit from Overman later on.
"I assume there's no me or Jade here from your parallel?"
"No. And your Jade was not abducted?"
I look around again. "No one in a Darkstars uniform, so unless she's keeping really quiet, no." I slip on Ghia'ta's ring. "I need to go and talk to Green Lantern Jade."
I really doubt she'd have kept her head down once the constructs stopped flying. I expect OL will call her ASAP once they get back.
"And I need to avoid walking in on Red Lantern and Komand'r 'celebrating' again."
<facepalm> Good grief...
I smile, then fly towards them.
"…letting me keep it." He holds up his right hand, showing off his golden ring. "It's such an improvement."
I bet he hasn't stopped smiling since they told him that. I know I wouldn't...
"I thought that Qwardian rings were fatal after twenty four hours."
"Yep! If you last that long!" He smiles as she frowns. "Lazarus Pits. I die every day and wake up a few hours later."
Jade frowns. "I thought that Lazarus Pits could only be used once."
Only if you use Ra's sloppy methods...
"There are different chemical mixes you can use. Nyssa.. was going to tell me how to make them myself once I killed Ra's…" He grins broadly as he looks at his new ring. "I suppose I don't need it now."
"You're not immortal."
"No, but I won't be dying every day now. I mean, I'll still kill Ra's when I find him, but no more huffing down carbon monoxide for me!"
And from anyone else, that would sound worrying. From him, it's
joyous.
"Is Commander Gordon letting you keep it?"
"Ah, Big Orange!" He nods. "It's not like she's short on them, and-. One advantage of being tortured to death every day for years is that you get pretty strong willed."
Yeah, anyone could tell, he
earned that thing. Gonna make for some fun scenes once he gets home.
"The Lantern formerly known as Anti-Green!"
"That's me!" He flies backwards towards the portal, waving as he goes. His Jade is keeping her face carefully blank, but I can clearly see that she thinks she's going to be executed upon her return. "See you when I see you!"
Wonder what she's been doing. Assassination work? That little nuking a small country thing from the comics? Ah well.
I wave as he grabs her and flies through the aperture.
"Lantern Nguyen. I.. have some questions, if you don't mind?" She shrugs. "You were.. trained by Alan Scott, right?"
She nods. "Yes. He's the most experience Lantern in the Sector."
And one of the longest lived Greens in his universe, I'll bet. Probably setting all kinds of records.
I nod back. "My version of Alan Scott had been retired for decades when I met him." She frowns. "But he's a good friend of mine, and he's back in the saddle now. Ah, point is, what I wanted to ask you… I leant my Jade my power ring last year, and… Orange-."
"Your Jade?" She raises her eyebrows.
"We've been dating for eight months. I'm pretty sure I can call her 'mine' at this point. Point it, orange rings have mind-altering affects, and she temporarily lost control. I'm… Worried that I might have put her off power rings permanently."
And he wants advice and commiserations about it from a Jade that's a ringslinger? Fascinating.
"I don't think I can help you. I trained with Alan's ring for three years before getting my own. And if you-."
"Thirteen. Since you got away from your father."
She doesn't nod, but her eyes dip slightly for a moment. "I sometimes wondered what I'd be like if I hadn't met him. Taking a look around here…"
It's an eye-opening moment, to see how many versions of you ended up on the other side of the law.
"The love of a good man can have powerful redemptive qualities. But she fights with a Darkstar exomantle."
"I wanted a power ring to prove to myself that I was free of my father. If she's gotten free in another way, she probably won't want it. If her childhood was like mine, we weren't brought up to be trusting."
I nod sadly. She rehabilitated herself to gain agency. Now that she associates power rings with losing it-.
I doubt she'll ever feel the need to wear one. Even if he mentions this Jade...
"What happened to Krona? It didn't look like your construct attack killed him when you overwhelmed his defenses."
"We sent him to a parallel where the laws of physics are different enough that his advantages will be nullified. Far safer than keeping him immaterial or killing him when one of his known allies is a death god."
She frowns. "He's still a Guardian. How can you be sure he won't find a way back?"
...Maul
did check that, didn't he? Because that sounds like a sequel hook on par with the original Crisis'.
