"She looks like an ofisuredī blow-up doll. If that's what you want, I can get you a better one." He tilts his head slightly to the side. "Or is it that you want to take everything that Ultraman had?"
"Owlman, you'd probably survive if I threw you off the Fortress, but I don't think you'd enjoy it much. So why don't you fuck off on your own?"
An
Office Lady? Curious. I wonder who this could be? (And why doesn't it
surprise me that Owlman knows the Japanese slang term for them?
Closeted Weeaboo!)
A very thin smile appears on his lips. "I'll check in with you once I've had the chance to go over Ultraman's ongoing projects. They should be fine. I can't imagine that he had any useful input into them."
I pointedly watch as he walks back across the landing pad and gets back into the owlwing. I keep watching until it's off the Fortress, and then activate the shield. And then I breathe out, and pull a injector containing a load of red kryptonite out of my equipment harness before turning around.
No doubt Ultraman had more than a few irons in the fire dependent on his super-strength intimidating 'lesser' folk into toeing his official line...
Thomas was right. It's obscene, really. And not remotely attractive to anyone who knows what women actually look like. Tits like beach balls, bursting out of a blouse and jacket combo. A belt-skirt that would nearly work, except that her ass is weirdly out of proportion with her legs and waist. And she's watching me…
"Here."
Seriously, who even is this person?
The local equivalent of Kara Zor-El?
I toss the injector to her and she catches it with impressive precision.
"Red? You..?"
...Shit, she's a Kryptonian, isn't she? And from the sounds of it, under the effects of a Kryptonite-induced metamorphic event.
...Wonder which colour does that in
this universe, if Red can fix it?
"Yeah. Dead."
She grimaces, pulls the blouse away from her right breast and jams the injector into an exposed vein before pushing the plunger.
At least there's plenty of space to aim.
And then she sags, breasts shrinking and ass tightening to proportions that looks like those of a normal human woman. She's not, but from the outside you wouldn't know the difference. There are a few other changes as well: her facial proportions shift back into what I remember, and… She actually gets a little taller.
She puts the empty injector on the table and pulls her clothes tighter around her, buttoning up the formerly unbuttonable blouse.
Not providing new clothes, Harrolds? Or is that level of precision still a little beyond you right now? Or would she take offence at the offer?
"Good riddance."
"I'm not arguing. You alright?"
...Still, it sounds like he has
history with her.
She looks at me like-. Yeah, okay. "No."
"Sorry, stupid question. You..? Yourself?"
I doubt Ultraman would have had the smarts to apply any mental conditioning, but KIMEs
do have mental effects sometimes.
"Yes." She moves her arms and legs, clothes no longer fitting properly. "As far as I remember. I'll check the records later." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in, then opens then as she snorts the air out, making eye contact with me. "Thank you."
I just nod.
And enjoy the effect that deep breath had on her no-doubt-still-impressive physique?
Discreetly, of course.
"The last living member of my species and he turned out to be completely worthless. So, you're in charge. What happens now?" She walks awkwardly over to a seat -the only one in the room, because why would Ultraman ever offer a seat to someone else?- with one hand on her skirt and another around her chest, and sits down. "I assume that you're taking control of his syndicates."
"I could. I'd rather offer them to you."
Definitely feeling either Evil Kara,
Ursa or
Faora vibes from her...
I take a few steps closer, and when she doesn't freak out I make myself a chair and sit down opposite her.
"Why?"
Hmm.. What cape name could she take, I wonder? Superwoman is out, of course. Ultrawoman? Power Woman?
"You told me you had the training."
"I'm a trained infiltration administrator, yes. I could do the job. Nightwing knows I couldn't be worse at it." She snorts quietly. "You know that I was trained to make myself indispensable to planetary governments in order to facilitate the kryptonian conquest of those worlds, right?"
Nightwing, in this case, being a dark deity of Old Krypton, and presumably one of
evil (rather than hunting it) in this universe.
"Until your people tried it with Godfather Izaya, yeah. But I think I can trust you. Not like there's anyone left you can hand this place over to."
She nods cautiously. "That still doesn't explain 'why'?"
'Godfather' Izaya, eh? Let me guess, he makes worlds 'offers they can't refuse'? Ones where New Genesis
invade them if they refuse their 'protection'...
"Ultraman was a fool. His people are used to having free rein. If I take it over, I'm going to get nothing but idiots fighting me for years before I turn it into something I can actually use. I'd rather give it to you. They know you-."
"They know me as his toy!"
I suspect after the first couple of
atrocities, they'll cotton on that you're not to be messed with.
"It's no secret, what Owlman and Superwoman are doing. Make up something about needing to continue the species, then fry anyone who mentions it twice with heat vision."
"You recovered his kryptonite stash?"
Since in this universe, Kryptonians draw power from the irradiated minerals, rather than die of super-cancer.
"What was left."
She snarls. "He burned through a lifetime supply in a year! The kryptonite was there for the final push, not for daily use! He was supposed to become an opinion-former, not a warlord! Gah!"
Bet he saw how they reacted and went 'I could become a big deal around here. Much better than being a
soldier!'
"Why did you two even come to Earth in the first place?"
"We were configured to infiltrate New Genesis. When that… Fell through, this was the only place we could come."
Going by the 'last of their kind' comments, Krypton in this universe is just as assploded as the matter universe, huh?
"Configured? So… This isn't how you really look?"
She frowns at me. "Yes, it's how I really look..?" Her forehead flattens out as she gets my point. "Oh. No, we're configured in the womb. I've always looked… Human. It's easier if the children grow up in the form they'll need. My parents look-. Looked different, but this is me."
Designer genetics. A common trait of late-era Krypton. In some continuities, it's why they're strong and tough even
without yellow sun radiation.
She snorts, looking away.
"Glory to Krypton."
Nothing left but smoking ashes now.... So better to find something new.
"You going to be alright, taking over?"
"I'll use a few kryptonite injections to make my point, then use equipment from his armoury the rest of the time. That was why he was such a moron, I'm sure of it. Kryptonite overuse is a bad idea."
Because
of course dosing yourself with super-serums is bad. But it does explain so much, I suppose.
"But you'll be okay?"
"I'll have to be. And I'll tell my syndicate to play nice with yours; I know which side my bread is buttered on. What's next for the Syndicate, oh Chairman? Ultraman was babbling something about the anti-matter universe."
The Positive Universe, once again. Man, it can be hard to keep track of things...
"The traits that make a good leader don't make a good follower. And down there-" I glance towards the window, through which we can see the Earth. "-is a planet full of people who think they should be the boss. The anti-matter version of Earth is having a hard time right now."
"And they're so weak-willed that they'll make a better workforce than the local humans." She nods. "How hard a time?"
Don't underestimate them, now. You might find some nasty surprises popping up...
"They've been infected with psychic clinical depression and attacked by their evil version of Darkseid."
"So they'll volunteer. How charitable-" My ring flashes. "-of you."
Oh, someone calling him? Via Ring Transmission, at that...
"The path to profit may be paved with good intentions, but it's probably a coincidence. Yeah?"
Sinestro's face appears over my ring, and I sit up a little straighter.
...Fuuu
uuck. This whole episode was a
Sinestro plot, wasn't it?
"Sinestro."
"Good to see you again, Power Ring. I trust that things went well?"
"Yeah. They did. I'm ready for the next step. And so's Lysis. Let's get this done."
Well, then. Sinestro Corps, coming
eventually!
