Except they're just standing there.
"Robin to Canis. Any reason why Mannheim brought the crowd?"
Spiritual Intimidation, most likely. A chorus to sing his praises.
"Etheric pressure. They demonstrate the normalcy of his version of the Anti-Life. The actual Darkseid has no need for such reinforcement."
We've got some gas canisters on that side of the bridge, but that's a lot of people. I don't-.
No, He relies solely upon his force of Divine Right to Rule. His godhead is so strong that He deforms reality simply by standing there.
"Do we need to deal with them?"
"If Mistress achieves dominion, that will remove them as an issue."
If she wins. Which still remains to be seen. Hopefully her will to stand firm is stronger than his desire to be obeyed.
"Does he know she can do that?"
"I doubt that he would bother coming here if he didn't. It's a contest he undoubtably believes that he will win, so he does not see the potential penalty for losing as a problem worth considering."
Because to consider the possibility of defeat opens the door to it. He cannot allow that.
His limousine and escorts are most of the way across the bridge. We had the Justified that work for Mistress come off the bridge in case he got some benefit from subverting them. We don't-. I don't think Mistress can actually win a fair fight. We just need her to hold on for long enough that we can knock out his support, and win that way.
I check the camera pointed at the C4 we planted on the bridge supports, just in case. Yep, still there.
A pity that will simply trap you on the island, since he would likely just Boom Tube away.
The motorcade pulls up in the parking lot, the escort vehicles forming a perimeter around the limo. Guards get out-. Justified. I recognise Orpheus and Onyx and a couple of others. Not Alpha Centurion, but he's busy fighting the Hawks in Central Africa.
And then-.
Orpheus and
Onyx, for reference. In the comics, two agents of the Bat. Here, members of the Alliance of the Just... Evidently Mannheim's
flexing on Mistress' control of Gotham.
Someone gets out of the limo. And I look away for a moment and I can't quite remember what I saw. Every time I blink-.
One time I tried drawing him while I kept looking at him, and then when I looked away I'd just drawn an omega. He doesn't keep this… Whatever this is, up all the time. Whatever Darkseid did to him, he's still physically just a big man. Mostly, he goes around looking like one. So either he's changed, or he's just doing it to mess-.
A memetic dodge, to prevent people remembering anything of the
man acting as Darkseid's agent.
"Canis, can you see Mannheim right now?"
"Yes. It is as if a feeble human has hooks in his skin, stretching him out to fill a Darkseid-shaped mould."
Heh. I'm reminded of
Dan Turpin!Darkseid from Final Crisis.
"Is that literally what's happened?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. He is enough a New God that his reality is not entirely real."
And presumably what metaphysicque he has is being moulded in Darkseid's image. Like a finger puppet that was once a man.
"Is Mannheim resisting? Is he-?"
"Not that I can see. It may be that my contempt for him is colouring my thoughts."
Or his human soul has simply been crushed underfoot by the imprint of Him.
The Mannheim-shape looks around, taking in the prison-.
He just looked at all of my cameras, one after the other. I frantically try to recall exactly what just happened, but between the… Eight seconds that just vanished from my mind and from the camera's records, I don't think that's going to happen. I tap my 'eye drive' short term memory backup in case this version of the wards has actually worked, unlike the last dozen times we've tried it.
Worrying. No doubt he wants no-one recording this.
Nothing.
But if I check the record just before and just after…
Useful, having an anti-amnesia system...
He looked at me.
There are two walls between us. My uniform's in stealth mode. I didn't move and unless he's got ears like a kryptonian he didn't hear me. There are no cameras watching me.
But you were watching the cameras, and thus
him. To observe is to
be observed...
I think he knew where I am because I'm being affected by the Anti-Life. But the traps aren't; they're inanimate objects. The detonators are as simple as they can be. He shouldn't be able to detect them. And even if he does… Would he know what it's supposed to do?
I hate not having information I need. Especially when I can't get that information. And other people's lives are on the line.
hopefully all goes well, then. Otherwise, Batman is not going to be happy.
"Artemis to Robin. He spotted you too, huh?"
"Yeah. Did his guards?"
They're little more than extensions of him at this point. If he wanted them to act, they would...
"No. I don't think so. They didn't look this way. Do you think they actually guard him?"
She knows I don't know. She's trying to distract me. I must look almost as tense as I feel.
I suspect they're mostly for show. An honour guard as he strides confidently into a lesser rival's encampment to accept their surrender...
And then I can see him clearly, and it's Bruno 'Ugly' Mannheim if he went on an intense body building course, did something about his posture and got a really good tailor. His expression doesn't ever change, looking around like the universe isn't worth his time. Like he finds it disappointing.
And then he's walking towards the vehicle entrance, heading towards the courtyard. His escorts… A few of them spread out, but Orpheus and Onyx stick with him as he enters Blackgate proper.
And so the conqueror enters the foe's lair. Time for the battle to begin...
"Robin to Alexander."
"That was… An experience. Is that normal?"
What's
normal, these days?
"That's the man who's taken over the world. None of the city bosses have the same ability to… Keep themselves out of your mind. Our best telepaths can't work around it."
"And your wizards?"
Unless they're New Gods, I doubt they could overcome his memetic filters...
"We try and keep them away from him. He's… Too good and getting into peoples' minds and souls. Anyone good enough to beat him has… Something powering them that we can't risk."
"So they study him and his works in an attempt to find a solution indirectly. I'll have to speak with them, assuming that my work is still required after this meeting."
Confidence. That's good. try to old onto that, even when Mannheim is shouting his creed to the heavens and
you...
Here's hoping.
Okay, he's in the courtyard. Mistress, Canis, Holly and a few of her Justified are… Waiting for him. He's not slowing at all, just walking right towards her at the same pace.
Trying to suggest that he's here as a supplicant, not a superior. Let's hope it works.
"Karon Chase. You've come up in the world."
Hey… I hadn't noticed it before, but… His voice doesn't have quite the same resonance as the Justified. Or the city bosses. With them, they're functioning in the same despair the rest of us feel. They're just better at coping with it. With him…
Still not a patch on the
true voice of Darkseid, I bet...
When I hear it, I don't think about him being better adjusted to what's happening. With him, it's the rest of us that are supposed to be miserable. He's above it.
"Bruno Mannheim. You're gone up in the world as well."
Stay focused, people. Believe that he
has power, and you
give him that power...
"The less Bruno Mannheim I became, the further up I rose."
"What are you here for?"
Which implies so much about you, doesn't it, Brucey? To become stronger, you had to stop being
you...
"You've adapted to the Anti-Life is a way I haven't seen before. I want that."
"I'm not for hire."
"That is not what I meant." All Is One In Mannheim."
And the first shot is fired. Let the battle commence!