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Amelia, Worm AU [Complete]

Torture session or attempt to drag her to a shunt vehicle?
Or both? They tortured here to get her compliant so that they could take her back to China and engage in brainwashing. She broke the first vehicle. They tortured her again to get her compliant so that they could get her to China and engage the brainwashing. She broke the second vehicle. They finally destroyed her armor and were going for number three when Lily rescued her.
 
Or both? They tortured here to get her compliant so that they could take her back to China and engage in brainwashing. She broke the first vehicle. They tortured her again to get her compliant so that they could get her to China and engage the brainwashing. She broke the second vehicle. They finally destroyed her armor and were going for number three when Lily rescued her.
That's sensible, but should be a bit more explicit if that's how it actually happened.
 
Oh, my bad. I thought the power split was more of an even distribution followed by a boosting.
edit: Ah, nope. I remembered correctly the first time. Zero/Null does a proportional split, while Two boosts.



So, yeah. The ones that survived now have a boost due to not having to share the power however many other ways, plus whatever boost is granted by Two.
Thinking back on it, that fits with what I remember. However I also recall the Yangban being divided into groups, so the powers never went below a certain strength anyway. Though I could be wrong again.
 
And what the fuck was the point of the Yangban torturing her for hours anyway?
To, y'know, be able to take her somewhere secure?

could they not have (with their superior powers) rendered her unconscious
Not without killing her. High end self biokinetic, remember?

Torture session or attempt to drag her to a shunt vehicle?
Mostly column A, but Column B in the "wear her down enough that she stops breaking the vehicles".

Or even, you know, removed her armour?

Actually, they flat out destroyed that, if you recall.

They finally destroyed her armor and were going for number three when Lily rescued her.

Her electric powers are not part of her armor. They're how she powers her armor.

a) try to take down the orbital cannon that's destroying their emplacements
Yeah. YOU try to shoot something out of orbit that can render itself indestructible. And has cloaking options. And has supersonic speed options. And has firing accuracy enough to not miss against things with superhuman speed. They have to hit her. All she has to do is not be shot at for two seconds and she can get off a few good shots.

b) try to locate and capture the rest of the invasion team
Emphasis on "try". What's easier- finding three people hiding some unknown place on the entire planet, or "interrogate" the team member that might know where they are?
 
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To, y'know, be able to take her somewhere secure?

Not without killing her. High end self biokinetic, remember?

Mostly column A, but Column B in the "wear her down enough that she stops breaking the vehicles".
If she was so much trouble, why not just kill her?

Actually, they flat out destroyed that, if you recall.

Someone in a Yanban uniform, and Victoria. Her armor was a mess, barely held together in some areas.
She still had enough armour to be seen as 'barely held together in some areas'.

Also, you still haven't fixed that typo :p

Yeah. YOU try to shoot something out of orbit that can render itself indestructible. And has cloaking options. And has supersonic speed options. And has firing accuracy enough to not miss against things with superhuman speed. They have to hit her. All she has to do is not be shot at for two seconds and she can get off a few good shots.

Emphasis on "try". What's easier- finding three people hiding some unknown place on the entire planet, or "interrogate" the team member that might know where they are?
So it was more "hold her in place and hammer her with our powers" than "try to extract information at our leisure"?

And to be honest, I don't know what powers the Yangban have. For all we know, they do have location powers. But we know they did hold a teenage girl down, for hours, and do everything short of killing her, in an ultimately useless attempt to get information. Perhaps if they broadcast to Lily, "Surrender or she dies?"

Still sounds badly managed to me, after the really great start they had.
 
That's sensible, but should be a bit more explicit if that's how it actually happened.
Or people can remember "unreliable narrator is unreliable" and read between the lines.

But we know they did hold a teenage girl down, for hours, and do everything short of killing her, in an ultimately useless attempt to get information.
Well, yeah, but not all of them. Seriously. You don't need over a hundred people to torture a single person. Sure, they certainly assigned a fair number to work as guards. But not *every last member*. That'd just be idiotic.

And *they* didn't know it'd prove useless.

Besides, part of it was hoping they could weaken her enough that she wouldn't be able to resist transport. Woulda worked, too. Y'know, if Lily didn't kill a bunch of them.
 
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Well, for members of Pantheon, torturing them is a pretty good idea. It gives the chance of getting information out of them. What else are you going to do, kill them? That's kind of pointless.
 
Thinking back on it, that fits with what I remember. However I also recall the Yangban being divided into groups, so the powers never went below a certain strength anyway. Though I could be wrong again.
As I recall, the boosting power is one of the ones that got divvied up, so each member in the squad is very very slightly boosting all of the powers of every other member of the squad - that is, every power including each member's sliver of the boosting power. It's the recursion that makes it so effective despite being split up like that.

If I remember correctly.
 
Well, for members of Pantheon, torturing them is a pretty good idea. It gives the chance of getting information out of them. What else are you going to do, kill them? That's kind of pointless.
It removes members of Pantheon. Who have been killing members of the Yangban right and left.
 
It removes members of Pantheon. Who have been killing members of the Yangban right and left.
Sorry... Let me rephrase that, because it's coming across wrong.

Killing a member of Pantheon that you've captured when there's a chance you could get information out of them is pointless since they can just be cloned. Killing a member of Pantheon that's unable to be held, or about to be rescued, to stop them or delay them, is perfectly fine.


Canon!Lung was also a lot of trouble. So for that matter was canon!Cody. Evidently the Yangban are willing to put up with a lot of shit if it means they potentially get access to a strong power.
Also, that. She'd be a boon for them.
 
there's the one where Taylor triggers with a body snatching power and immediately jumps to Emma.
even though her body dies in that, it arguably doesn't count since she's got a new body that's totally fine so here's a second suggestion; Draconian where Taylor triggers as an 'interface' tinker and accidentally kills herself... a bit.
 
Amelia, Ch 386
Amelia, Ch 386


TiredFocusWeak. Even now that I had Taylor hooked up to the Dryad, letting me regulate her health manually, she was not doing well. She needed time to recover. And we needed her to be awake for the meeting with the UN. I could handle Pakistan alone. It didn't take much to let her drift off into sleep. The couple hours would give me time to do some minor repairs. Clarice did her best, but the materials were substandard, and Taylor just didn't have all those brain modifications that Clarice had.


"Don't worry, Vicky, she's just asleep. She'll be fine."


"Who's worried?" My sister was, in many ways, physically more damaged than Taylor. It was her power alone that was keeping her alive right now, and I couldn't do much more than provide her with raw materials equivalent to her own genetic code to absorb into herself as a patch job.


"I am. I'm worried about both of you. You push yourselves so hard it's like you want to break."


There was a spike of emotion in her that I couldn't quite identify before her power blocked me out again. "Well, I can't speak for Taylor. But don't worry about me. You know me better than that, Ames. I don't 'break'. Sure, I can be killed. Been there, done that, and maybe someone will do it to me again. But nothing and no one will ever break me. You can count on that. You can count on me."


In spite of myself, and the concerns I had, I smiled. "No wonder you and Taylor hate each other. You two are so much alike that it's kinda creepy."


There was a spike of annoyance. "According to Crystal, she's supposedly like you. All quiet and adorkably shy and shit. I have to be honest with you, I really don't see it. She's basically the biggest bitch in any room she walks into. I never thought you'd shack up with a supervillain. Did not call that aspect of your personality."


There's a lot of my personality you never saw. That I never let you see. "God damn it, Victoria. Every fucking time. She's not a supervillain."


"Okay, reformed supervillain then." Vicky acted exasperated, though she really didn't register as that upset. "I mean don't get me wrong, I get the appeal. The bad boy, or girl I guess, thing can be really sexy at times. And the whole fantasy of changing them and making them not complete assholes. I've been there a couple times."


"Really?" Put this on the list of things my sister never told me about. "Who?"


"No one finds out?"


"Not from me, at least."


"Well, I kinda had a recurring, umm, fantasy about Lung. There might have been a chainmail bikini involved. I wasn't the one wearing it."


"You're fucking kidding me."


"Dude was hot! And I don't mean that as a stupid pun. Tall, good looking, buff as hell, and he never ever wore a shirt. If he wasn't a complete douchebag, yeah, I'd have slain that dragon all night long."


There's a mental image I would have been fine going my entire life without. "Vicky. Why are you telling me this."


"I just wanted you to know that I get where you're coming from with Taylor. She's all broody and bitchy and dark. Then you come along and smack her over the head, show her the error of her ways and change her for the better. Typical teen fantasy. I'm sure her running around in a skin tight suit made of pure silk was a factor as well."


I found myself smiling a little at that thought. Maybe I should talk to Taylor about that. I started to blush. "Is there a point to any of this?"


"Uh... there was when I started, but I sorta forgot what it was."


I sighed theatrically. "Well, feel free to figure out what it was. I have to do politics now."


"Okay, I'll just hang out in here with the decapitated head of your fiancée while you do that."


I activated the com system, voice only. <My apologies for the delay, Mister President.>


<That is quite alright. I was told you've succeeded in taking back our colony world, while we had believed it was lost forever. Have you identified those responsible for this crime?>


I frowned. This was the delicate part. Have to imply it's China without saying it's China. <We are still investigating. We have captured a number of members of the organization resposible, however we still need time to process the information and come to any final conclusions. In addition, the terrorists appear to have been collecting slave labor. We suspect that's what happened to your missing colonists, but they weren't with the individuals that we captured. Searching an entire planet could take some time.>


That amount of time being around twenty minutes with Tayor at her best. Pity that's not happening right now.


<I assume you want to ask whether we wish to keep our current colony world or have the old one returned to us.>


Well, at least he understands the basics. <Yes, exactly. It might take some time before we can safely return this world if you prefer that option. There is still resistance in some areas that we'd need to quash, for fear of them attacking your colony.>


<And the invaders would still have the 'shunt' technology that Avalon uses to travel between worlds at leisure? They could invade our colony again at any time?>


Words scrolled across my screen. He's Fishing for information, it's safe to admit shunt tech takes time and needs to be aligned to a given world. I relaxed a little, focusing on the link I had with Taylor. Vicky wasn't wrong about change. Even with her asleep, she is my calm in the storm. Thanks to me, she is better. Thanks to her, I am better. And together we are making the world a better place.


"Yes, they've already managed to align shunt technology between Bet and Kyber A. The only security we could offer is the same technology they used to shut us out and block the portal, but that means the gate would be shut down as well."


<And, as you've just shown, the technology is imperfect. Is our new colony world any better off than the old? Couldn't they shunt to it instead?>


<I can only say that it's unlikely. This is classified information, but it takes time to analyze a gateway and how it links to Bet. Labyrinth, the gate maker, has a power that lets her do it automatically. We require days of tinker analysis for our shunt drives to access a specific world. But they might have a Tinker that's developed a superior method.>


Then again, we don't need a better method. We have a hidden microportal that we use to scout for worlds before creating actual portals, so by the time anyone gets a colony world we already know everything we need to know about it.


<That is a significant concern.>


<One that we are doing everything in our power to address. Now that we've proven we can break through anti-shunt technology, I doubt they'll try the tactic again. There is still the question of which world you want to hold. As per portal network treaty, you are only entitled to one colony world.>


<We will keep our new location. The other is a known security risk.>


Now for the fun part. <If you wish, Avalon could scan your portal. Then if there's risk of it being attacked, we will be able to respond immediately. Considering the circumstances, we are going to extend this offer to all nations with a colony world. Even if it means revealing tactical information on our technology.>


<I... shall need to discuss that offer with my advisors, you understand.> Between the audio only and translation device, most of the emotion of our conversation was rendered impossible to guess, but he didn't sound enthusiastic about the idea. That was fine, we didn't need permission. As Akaihana said, it was all about appearances. We needed to appear like this was something that took effort.


<Ah, yes, advisors and beaurocracy. I understand all too well.> That you'll use that as an excuse to tell us no later. <While on the subject, we will do what we can to see that the resources stolen from you by the terrorists are returned as well as the people. It would be helpful if you itemize the supplies and equipment you had sent to the original colony for us, in addition to the names of the colonists.>


<I will see to it that you get the information within a week.>


<Thank you. I believe that covers everything, and I apologize for the late hour.>


<Yes, thank you.> The display kindly informed me that he was off the line. Yes!


"Okay, and that counts as renouncing claim on Khyber A. It's now officially an unclaimed world." We'll have to assign it to UN oversight eventually, but for right now it's truly international and we can do as we please. "Dragon, you're authorized to bring over your suits, now. Collect and analyze the wreckage of their tinker tech and form a plan for all the colonists. We can't let them stay on this world, but we can give them the choice of either returning to the CUI, or making their lives on Avalon. When I get back to Mashu, I'll start generating a supply of fruit plants to provide them food for the time being."


==============


A/N- This chapter did NOT cooperate with me. Ugh. Hopefully the contrast between this chapter and the last Amelia perspective chapter is suitably disturbing.
 
Why would they be allowed on Avalon? Too much chance of a spy.
CUI Spy: "Hah! They let me right into their most heavily controlled location!"

Avalon: "Hello, I am Taylor and Amy's panopticon planet. Anything you say or think can and will be noticed."

CUI Spy: "Now I have them right where they want me!"

Disturbing is Vicky's fantasies about Lung.
Oh, sure, like you've never thought about Lung in a bikini.
 
There is that reservation idea I had for former C.u.I citizens on the condition that they never have autonomy over themselves and have no voting rights in Avalonic policy and can never work in a managemen position.poor Vicky has the delusion that Amelia reformed Taylor...nothing has really change except that she wears a different title,it was Taylor that saved her from herself.
 
Well, y'know, there's really no practical way of screening millions of colonists for spies. So it's virtually guaranteed that China could have a spy on Avalon, if they thought it would give them useful information.
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, or if you genuinely forgot about the whole ... immigrant screening processes that they do. The short questionnaire that determines if people can go to Avalon or not.
 
Well, y'know, there's really no practical way of screening millions of colonists for spies.
Taylor: "What are you talking about? I'll just monitor all communication on the planet in real time."

Rapture: "Why bother? I'll just scan their brains as they gate in."

Dragon: "Why wait? We'll catch them during the screening interviews."
 
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, or if you genuinely forgot about the whole ... immigrant screening processes that they do. The short questionnaire that determines if people can go to Avalon or not.
Unless someone had a Master or Thinker power to turn someone else into a spy. Unless China discovered some leverage that could convince someone to become a spy, after they immigrated. Unless one of the immigrants was disaffected after moving to Avalon, and decided that they were willing to spy.

But if you could guarantee those things, then yeah, sure.
 
Unless someone had a Master or Thinker power to turn someone else into a spy. Unless China discovered some leverage that could convince someone to become a spy, after they immigrated. Unless one of the immigrants was disaffected after moving to Avalon, and decided that they were willing to spy.

But if you could guarantee those things, then yeah, sure.
They... have brain monitoring tinker tech as part of the screening processes? On top of that, they have real time surveillance of the entire world. I mean, I can't say that they can give a 100% guarantee that there will be no spies, but at some point it becomes cost prohibitive to try and get spies in there.
 

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