17th November 2017
10:37 GMT
A song barely audible makes the air shudder as Mr. Tenzin completes his circuit of the evacuees. Not only has his command of his power reached the point where he can heal the injuries they were still suffering from, but he can reach into them and correct older injuries, like badly healed bones or organ scarring. Or forced sterilisation. It's a bit of a shame that superpowered healers are so rare, because I'd quite like it if the League had a more sensible starting composition.
I turn to Subjekt-17, who can't quite make up his mind if he wants to stare at Mr. Tenzin or at the gordanians who make up the majority of the population. Unlike Original Grayven I've focused on building up their civilisation. Like Genghis Khan, I've completely broken down the existing tribal structures to create a civilisation that won't just collapse into its composing parts in three generations like they usually do. I've.. eased back on the telepathic policing compared to my efforts with Earth 16 humans, because if you do that you end up having to
keep doing that, and I want these gordanians to be able to stand on their own.
Aside from the immigrants. Honestly, I was surprised when karnans of all people started applying to live here. I actually arrived early enough in the timeline that the karnan/gordanian conflict hasn't… Gone as far as it did back in Universe 16. Apparently the attitude back on Karna now is that this is where the 'civilised' gordanians live, unlike the yokels back on Karna.
"These… People. Not human. Not Subjekts."
"That's right. This is what civilisation looks like when they're not using you as a laboratory rat."
"Laboratory rat?"
"I'm surprise that you don't know the term."
"I learn through hearing thoughts. But they have to be thinking the meaning, or it is just… Noise. And I can hardly hear you at all."
"Laboratories use rats to test things. Genetic alterations, chirurgery, behavioural science-."
"Subjekts."
"But not intelligent ones." I frown. "You know what animals are, right? I realise that-."
"Yes. Some of the researchers had… Pets."
I nod. "Like that, but without the affection."
"Animal Subjekts."
"I… Suppose. Look, are you going to let Physician to look you over or not?"
"No." I sigh, and he turns his head towards me. "I know that he… He has good intentions. But I cannot."
"Okay. But we're going to fight people in our weight class. If you really want to keep your current injuries, fine, but in a fight, he'll just heal you, because it's not just your comfort that we'll be risking. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
I nod, and walk towards the Physician.
"Are you ready?"
He pats his last patient on the shoulder in dismissal before turning back to me. Unlike the 6th Doctor look of the Accomplished Perfect Physician that I'm used to, this one has stuck resolutely to his orange Buddhist habit. "Ready to declare war upon Earth? No. I am far from ready."
"What, you want another look at Apokolips? Because that's the alternative. I mean, you're not a.. New God, but you're about as close as a human can get on their own. You felt what it was like."
He nods solemnly. "I did. And that and the behaviour of the Chinese government is why I am willing. But this sort of violence stains the soul and… This will be what I leave to the next Perfect Physician."
"There was a human physician I used to know, by the name of Richard Donovan. One day, an elderly woman presented herself at the clinic where he worked with 'pain in her arm'. Upon closer examination it was severely gangrenous. They rushed her into chirurgery, amputated the arm and saved her life." He nods. "Obviously, they'd rather have treated her earlier in the development of the condition and saved the limb as well, but…"
"I am not certain that the metaphor can bear the weight you are putting on it. Where on Earth has both gangrene and clinics?"
"Brighton, England. He told me about it because they could barely believe it happened and he had to autopsy the arm. Still, if you're as ready as you're going to get then we might as well get this show on the road. Mother Box!"
"Ping."
BOOM!
We stroll through the portal, out to the viewing platform next to the Absolute Dominion's docking cradle.
It's ridiculous. Sure, building ships in orbit might be simpler for low-tech primitives, but we have all kinds of gravity and mass manipulation technology. So why
not put my ridiculously huge dreadnought in dock on the planet's surface. Even if that means that we have to plane a continent a little because it doesn't fit on one horizon.
Captain Adam is still staring at it. He glances around as we approach, then shakes his head.
"Doc Smith had nothing on this."
"I actually
read the Lensmen series. Throwing planets at people isn't actually an efficient way to wage war, even if it's essentially just a matter of applying power. Also, hive mind telepaths aren't actually stronger than individual telepaths, as what tends to happen is that the gestalt overloads one of its component brains and accidentally kills itself. Though there
is a species of evil telepathic starfish out there, so he wasn't wrong about everything."
"Starfish?"
"Oh, don't worry. Without an organic brain I'm…" I make a show of thinking it over. "Ninety nine percent sure that you're immune to them."
"Look, if you've got-. What did you call this thing?"
"The
Absolute Dominion."
He stares at me for a moment.
"Y.. eah. The guns on this thing put the
New Jersey to shame. So why do you need
us?"
"Legitimacy. I'm going to need to convince other superpeople to work for me. I'm going to need you to act as my
lord-lieutenants as I establish control of the Earth's territory, to go out and meet people on my behalf. And dreadnought main batteries aren't exactly precision weapons." I shrug. "If I could beat my father by myself I'd have already done that. I need
more."
Adam nods, his gaze moving over to where Hippolyta is trying to avoid looking at it.
"Your majesty? Are you alright?"
"
I think that I should have spent more time with my daughter." She turns, her eyes not focusing on the strangeness around her, seeing without truly taking it in. "My understanding of the world outside of our island was… Woefully inadequate."
I smile. "But hey, you started fixing that when we were in Washington, didn't you?" Her face hardens slightly. "Honestly, I'm impressed that you knew how to use a telephone."
Adam looks surprised. "Are you saying that Wonder Woman is still around? In the US?"
"Yeah." I nod. "Working in a museum. Her boyfriend died in the First World War and she never got over it."
Hippolyta glares at me. "She is 'over it' now. You will be stopped, and then the heroes of Earth will cast down your father after you."
"Glad to hear it! All aboard!"
