[Archive] With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Story Only)

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
14:01 GMT -5

Armour.

Ow.

I pick myself out of the burned roadside scrub as the car accelerates away from me. That was… Novel. Rather than fire a blast out of their hands, the Operatives gestured and the air around me sort of exploded. Teleporting… Energy, converting the air into plasma-.

Ow.

And no build-up. So… So the only reason that I'm still alive is that my environmental shield can't conduct electricity so it earthed itself into the ground. I still got hit by the kinetic power-.

"Okay, the first two just blasted me." Heavy armour, construct armour. "I'm moving to detain."

"Oh El, that's two powerful metahumans who aren't immediately threatening anyone. You should wait for backup. Canis?"

"If I delay then the Hatter may escape."

"No, keep on Hatter."

I accelerate after their car, grateful that the roads are so empty. He's not wrong about the guidelines of engagement, but notifying someone, bringing them up to speed, getting them here and then making sure that they don't die-. Area effect attacks work well against speedsters, and if they're just targetting a remote attack rather than making the attack themselves then there might not be any sort of recharging period. Batman didn't tell me exactly what they can do, so I can't be completely sure of my ability to contain them-.

"Robin, have you notified Batman?"

"I've sent an initial report. I can-."

"Orange Lantern to Yellow Lantern. Urgent."

That should go directly to his power ring, rather than going through whatever filtering he's got set up. Of course, he can just dismiss-

Call refused.

-it, but hopefully he won't do that.

"Huh. Uh, maybe we can get-."

"Hey there!" I look up and see Kara II floating above me as we gain on the speeding car. "I'm here to help!"

Um.

"Robin, did you call Supergirl Two?"

"No? Is she there?"

"Yes." Kara tilts her head slightly to the left. "Thank you for being here. It's really.. convenient."

"I know!" She nods excitedly. "I haven't been following you at all!"

"Uh."

She look forwards. "I'll go grab them right away!"

"Supergirl, w-."

She zooms forwards in a red and blue blur, and-

BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM!

-the explosions start at once, which implies that they can still use satellite monitoring because hitting a kryptonian like that by eyeballing it is extremely difficult.

Kara herself hits the road face-. Head first, digging a channel as her momentum carries her along and then flopping onto her back.

I stop just above her, scanning-. I can't see any injuries-.

"Are you alright?"

She blinks, floats upwards into the air with her eyes glowing red and then rotates to face the fleeing car. "That wasn't very nice!"

"Narrow beam, Kara! Narrow beam!"

Red rays lance out, rupturing the rubber of the rear tyres before a force field flares into being, soaking the heat.

"Okay, and stop, because-."

The force field undulates, then two red rays lance out and hit Kara right in the eyes!

"Ow!"

She staggers in the air, shaking her head and blinking heavily. The car…Appears to be carrying on unimpeded.

Maybe… I should-.

"Kara, are you alright?"

"I don't think my super vision is working!"

"I know, and I'm sorry about that. I just need you to catch me if they hit me. Can you manage that?"

"Sure! I can navigate by sound! And smell, actually! Don't ask me how I know that! I don't need super vision!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. Perhaps hang back just in case?" She nods happily with her eyes closed. Ring, sound projector. "Would either of you gentlemen care to explain what you're doing?"

Neither of them respond, and… Their rear wheels appear to be fully functional once more.

"Gentlemen…" Ring, just in case their shield is preventing them from hearing me, flash Morse code as well.

Compliance.

"Gentlemen, please stop your car and surrender yourselves. You are not technically under arrest-"

"But you should be!"

"-but I have reason to believe that your minds are being externally altered. If that is not the case, then we need merely have a simple conversation and you can be on your way. If you do not, then I will be forced to restrain you pending a mental health assessment."

Which someone who voluntarily blanked their mind wouldn't pass, but I'm doing this for show rather than because I'm obliged to.

Alright. Electromagnetic pulse.

The car judders for a moment, then resumes driving.

The car looks modern enough to require electronics. They're repairing damaged components. Alright. Teleport jammer. Electromagnetic shield. Fly faster and scoop-

Blam!

-and lift the car off the road so that its wheels are spinning in thin air, generate every type of interference around the box I can think of…

No more blams. Okay. That last 'blam' was weaker and more diffuse than the first, so I'm disrupting something. And they haven't tried repeating it. Their car's free floating wheels spin impotently inside my construct as I float closer.

"Gentlemen. Are you prepared to talk now?"

They turn to each other for a moment, and then leap through the windscreen towards me!

 

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
14:05 GMT -5

I grunt in disappointment as I jink aside, tossing the car and generating a vertigo inducer construct. Feels like a while since I've used one of those. Neither of the Operatives react to it, one-. He's using a plasma aura around his body to change direction in mid-air to clumsily fly after me, and the other-

Blam!

-just blasted himself away because they're doing a sacrificial play.

Whoever programmed their brains did good work, but the fact is that it's just not adequate to the situation.

I ignore the one running, create an ion cannon and fire at the decoy. His plasma field fails immediately, dropping him to the ground. He lands well, rolls and comes up to a crouch but my claw construct is already there and tearing his New God belt off his waist.

"No!"

Interesting that doing that didn't make him feel fear, but after a brief delay his body begins shrivelling up in the same way that Mr. Blank's did. Not quite as far, because this is someone who took a bit more exercise-.

"Stanley Adams."

"Whu-?"

"Your name, sir. Stanley Ad-."

"I don't.. use…"

"I know, and I will ensure-" I send the belt into subspace and land, depositing him on the tarmac. If nothing else I can get Canis to look at the bloody thing. "-that you get actual therapy, instead of a mind wipe. But-."

Kara appears in front of me, the other Operative hanging from her right hand, stripped of his belt. "I got him!"

"Good work. Um. Where's his belt?"

She smiles broadly. "I tossed it!"

"You tossed-? Kara, do you remember our 'what goes up must come down' talk?"

"Oh, I aimed!" She nods emphatically. "I guarantee that it won't hit anything that anyone worth caring about cares about."

18th July 2013
14:07 EST

I don't move, but I can't prevent myself from breathing in a little sharply as some.. sort of large projectile punches a hole in my office window and embeds itself in the wall behind my desk. Mercy lunges towards me with her force field activating as I try to analyse-.

Is that a cummerbund?

18th July 2013
14:07 GMT -5

"Anyone at all!"

"Okay." I'll find out where it went later. "Can you put that guy down-. Put on the ground, not drop."

She doesn't look even slightly guilty as she descends to ground level and releases her hold. I attach ultra-strength chains to both of them, which is probably excessive without their belts but I'd rather not take the risk.

"Okay, Stanley-."

"Why are you restraining me? I was doing useful work!"

"Yes, you were doing useful work, then you decided to abandon your worksite and drive across the country. I'm trying to find out why."

"Huh?" He blinks, his mouth hanging open for a moment. Then he looks around. "Where-? I wasn't… Here…"

"Stanley, a few of your friends have been worried about you. Do you remember why you agreed to become a Peace Operative?"

"I…"

He looks up at me, but he's not struggling against his bonds anymore and looks more confused than angry.

"The video…"

"Yes, I understand that it's standard practise for Peace Operatives to create a video before the mind wipe happens. What did yours say?"

"It-. Ah, that I.. tried to go back to my old life, but couldn't handle it without that-. The sense of purpose I got from being a Justifier. I don't remember it now, but I think that makes sense. I know I haven't had a problem since I got this done."

"What's the most recent thing you remember?"

"Tossing cars in a portal?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"I-. I'm not-." He blinks heavily, shaking his head. "That's the last thing I remember clearly…"

"But?"

"Ah… The Peace Agents are always completely clear about what we're doing and why. And I don't remember being told… But it was like I got an order without getting an order?"

"Did Mannheim ever give you orders personally?"

"I-" He shakes his head. "Wouldn't remember either way. Do you.. think he did it? Is he even still alive?"

Check location…

"He's alive because he got affected by something even stronger than what the Justifiers got, but I don't see how he could have done anything to you as he is now. You don't feel that compulsion now?"

"No, I just… Feel confused. My partner might be able to tell you more." I look at the other Operative, who appears to be a little woozy from Kara's treatment. "No, no, the A.I. they pair us with. It should have been monitoring me-. Or it might have been affected too." He suddenly looks a lot more concerned. "I don't know what I'd do without him."

"Alright. Robin, you get all that?"

"I can't believe someone infiltrated their command and control system already. I'll call the G.P.A."

"Good. Supergirl, please gently take these gentlemen to Robin. Can you do that?"

"Sure thing!"

"Thank you. Canis?"

"He is.. gone."

"Gone?"

"It is as if he used a boom tube without leaving any residue."

"A hush tube?"

"I know of no such device."

"They exist, and they're quieter. I just-."

My armour flashes up an alert as the cars carrying the other five Operatives vanish.

"They've got the others. We need to know where they are-."

Emergency alert from: Ted Kord.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Late Winter, IC 690

Diabo stands facing my shrine, staring at the place where my ring had rested for years and frantically trying to take his mind off his forthcoming Triumph.

"If the other gods hate you, why do they permit you this?"

"A modest temple in an out-of-the-way location? What do you think that they should have done?"

"If… You are bound to that ring… Why not destroy it?"

"Because then I would appear in the realm of the gods, with access to my full power. I would kill or bind the gods I disapproved of and crown myself king of the others. Then my new pantheon would work to set this world to rights."

He stares down at me.

"What?"

"You have that power?"

"Not like this, no."

"But… You could slay Hardy?"

"The gods of this world are powerful and wilful, I grant them that much. They are also ignorant and lazy, self-indulgently playing with mortals for entertainment and self-glorification. I am not ignorant and I am not lazy and their weaknesses are vulnerabilities I can ruthlessly exploit."

"Is..? That why Giselle backs down whenever you..?"

"Partially. It's more because she shares their vices. How often do you think she encounters something that can actually hurt her?"

"Few things can harm an Apostle."

"Fighting things that cannot hurt you does not demonstrate courage. Four hundred years of life and the most she can say about her life is that she woke a dragon up one time. I had worn a ring much like this one for a year and a day before I slew two Apostle-equivalents. And honestly? If it wasn't for the social significance of the event I doubt that it would stand out in my memory. Someone who takes power should do so with a purpose, not because 'why not?'."

"Uh…" He contemplates the physical structure of my ring for a moment. "Is that something that you want me to do?"

"No. I find brute force solutions inelegant, and slaying or binding gods would probably cause all sorts of unpleasant knock-on effects across the physical world. It's better to work at it gradually." Hm. "Up to a point. If we reach the stage where your magicians can create a type of device called a Branch of Yggdrasil then we can consider taking a more aggressive approach."

"I'm sure that will take a very long time, whatever it is."

"Yes, I believe that you're right."

"What does it..? Do?"

"It would connect the magic systems of this world to the magic systems of my world of origin. In practical terms, I could regain a physical body and act independently, as well as gaining the ability to call upon my allies to assist me."

"I.. see."

"Oh, don't worry. I'd get you a new ring. It would have all the same powers, it just wouldn't be my vessel."

"Ah. T-thank you for your consideration."

"I seldom abandon projects when they're half-complete."

"What..? What exactly happens if the other gods try and..? Stop you?"

"That depends on what they do exactly. If they try and involve themselves in the affairs of the world in a constructive way then they're doing what I'd want them to do anyway. If they try escalating against my operations directly then I'll remind them why they did this to me in the first place."

"Why..? Did they do this to you in the first place?"

"You'd have to ask them. I suspect that it was a combination of wanting to deny me the ability to change things as I wanted and amusement at punishing my 'hubris'. And… Perhaps a belief that if I existed as they do I would inevitably come to share their perspective."

"What..? What exactly would happen to the Saderan Empire if you were..? Freed?"

"You would be my primary agent, so I imagine whatever you wanted. Alternately, if you preferred doing something else with your life, I could handle it myself. But as I said, that is at best a very long way off."

"And none of your allies-?"

"…out of my way!"

Diabo turns around as someone-. Eithne, bellows something from the antechamber. She had best not be taking her disgruntlement out on my priests. I've got a few new ones these days and I haven't learned all of their names yet.

"The Prince-."

"I'll find him myself!"

Diabo looks around, but this isn't a big temple and there aren't any other exits. "Can you close the door?"

"Yes, but it's not that thick. I really think it would be best just to see what's bothering her so much." He doesn't move, and-. Are the walls shaking? Gosh, she must be in a bit of a mood. "Look, she did a good and faithful job during the campaign, and that means that you're obliged to answer her concerns."

"What? I'll uphold our deal, that doesn't mean-."

"She has to continue to believe that you will uphold the deal. And that requires you to perform a degree of personnel management."

He nods hesitantly, and walks towards-.

Chief Eithne stomps into my inner sanctum, gourd of… Rotgut clasped in her right hand. She waves it at Diabo. Ah, no, she's the one waving. "Hey! You!"

"Yes?"

"Your brother! Queen Tyuule!"

"Yes..? He took her as a sex slave after winning his war against your people. I've tried-."

"A slave! HAH!"

She doesn't sound happy-.

She throws the gourd at the floor, shattering it and spilling what's left of her liquor across the flagstones.

"We all THOUGHT she sold us out so that SHE'D be safe! We all thought it was HER fault!"

I feel the emotion drain from Diabo. "Only someone who doesn't know Zorzal would surrender to him. Even I'd consider hemlock preferable. I suppose it's her fault for not knowing that, but that's about it." Diabo sniffs. "He boasted about it, once. He said that he'd still have won, but that the queen convinced herself that if he got her that he'd be merciful to the rest. I didn't realise that you didn't kn-."

"WHY!? WHY?!"

"He has no morals or compassion, but he also has no fear." He walks slowly towards her. "If you told him that his cruelty might cause a slave to stab him tomorrow he'd probably say 'but that's tomorrow' or 'that's why I wear armour' or 'not if I stab them first'. And then he'd stab them to put fear into the rest. And that's why I need to become Emperor. Because if he does that as a prince, he'll do worse once our father dies."

Diabo bows his head.

"I'm getting a Triumph tomorrow. I made a pact with our father that if I mastered black powder weapons for Sadera then I'd be made Crown Prince. Zorzal might have conquered your people but he spent Saderan blood like chipped copper pieces to do it. My victory was far more clean, and we gained a tributary and full coffers from it rather than a lot of wasteland we can't protect and don't have the people to settle. Soon, Zorzal will start trying to kill me, and I'll have to kill him."

"He's scum! He's an oath-breaker!"

"He's my brother. And plenty amongst both of our peoples have done worse. Don't get histrionic just because you were on the receiving end this time. And sober up." She gasps as the effects of the alcohol are expunged from her body. "You need to make a good showing to convince the senate to put our pact into practice, and you won't do that if you're drunk."

She takes a moment to process what she's been told.

"You need your brother dead?"

Diabo walks past her towards the exit.

"Not yet."

She falls in behind him. "I want to be the one who kills him."

"I'll see what I can do."

 

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
14:09 GMT -5

"Ted?"

"Help! H-"

I accelerate my perception, transition to low Earth orbit directly above KordTech's New York facility and look down. Some debris, no fire and no large group of attackers. Scans show no anti-transition technology. Transition down a probe, it materialises without difficulty. Transition myself down next to the exterior refuge point, erect construct shields.

"-elp!"

There's a slightly odd Doppler effect as I hear Ted's voice from my ring and from his own mouth at a slight delay as he shouts it into his mobile while chivvying his employees away from the building. There's a burned patch of tarmac where part of one wall used to be, a hole leading into the building closed to the workshop where the globe-.

"Ted, is the globe still here?"

He looks around, and sags slightly in relief as he jogs towards me.

"Yeah! Yeah, it is. It's-."

"Mad Hatter. It's looking like he was held inside it."

He frowns. "Why?"

"I don't know. Most people in the world don't fixate on what happened while they were Anti-Lifed, but he was crazy beforehand. He has five Peace Operatives with him?"

"Ah. Yeah. But they weren't wearing hats."

"The empowerment system they use is based on Apokoliptian technology. I'm assuming that he's using his connection to the globe to… Hack it, somehow."

"Wouldn't Batman have some sort of security against that kind of thing?"

"You can't secure against what you don't know is possible. And he only got seven, so… Is everyone out?"

"Ah, hold on. Michael!" He dashes over to the marshal, who's checking names off on a datapad. "How's it looking?"

"Good so far. We've still got.. people who haven't checked in yet-."

"Are we missing anyone who should be here?"

"Well, I-. I haven't seen Bobo yet. You know how he takes naps in the roof supports when he's hung over-"

I blink. "What?"

"-so he might have missed the alarm. Larry isn't out yet. I think he was in the can, so he's supposed to shelter in place but he might decide to run for it. That's it, until the others finish their checklists."

"Okay. Orange Lantern to-."

BOOM!

A boom tube opens in the middle of the car park, and Brut lopes through with Canis on his back.

"To Supergirl-."

Woosh!

Kara stands in the air proudly, fists on her hips, chest out and head back. "Here I come to save the day!"

Isn't that from Mighty Mouse? Never mind.

"Is your Kara in today?"

Ted nods. "Still inside. She figured that if whatever happened was so dangerous that she had to evacuate, there wasn't much point in anyone running."

"Alright. Canis, Kara?" Brut trots towards me as Kara floats down to ground level. "We mostly need information about what's going on. Kara, how resistant to mind control are you?"

She beams. "I've been practicing! It's like my mind isn't even there!"

"Good show. You know where the heavy equipment entrance is?" She nods excitedly. "Alright, you and Canis go there and await my signal. I'll meet up with Other Kara inside and try and get Tetch talking."

Kara looks puzzled. "We should just zoom in there and punch him!"

"It might come to that, and if you see a civilian in danger then don't wait, but we need to know what that globe thing is because there could be more."

She nods. "Right!"

Woosh!

"Canis, I'm relying on you to-." His eyes are unfocused. "Canis?"

"There is an artfulness to her simplicity." "But I can see the parts that aren't there."

"I'm glad you approve, but can you focus?"

"Yes." He nods. "My awareness will not suffer. Yah!"

Brut charges off, Canis drawing his mega rod. Okay. My power armour… Should fit through the interior of the building, especially if I fly rather than walk. Construct armour… Ugh. Maximising the chance of talking him down will require that my face be fully visible. Switch to light power armour, which is less tough but still has a kinetic barrier. Add an electromagnetic shield that can turn aside plasma and it should be sufficient… Okay.

I jog towards the opening… Ring, phone the workshop, just in case.

Compliance.

The hole-. Not super strength. And not an area effect blast. Directed plasma? I look up and see that the exterior cameras have been destroyed. Not something Tetch usually does, but certainly something that Peace Operatives would be programmed to do.

I march inside the building, making no effort to disguise my passage. He's not picking up the phone-. Couldn't he just tube himself out? Assuming that the location wasn't anchored, yes, and-. Fixed end point. I didn't ask Canis to check the area. Either that, or his precise location is about to become irrelevant.

"Jervis Tetch."

"I know who I am. And there's no need to shout."

That's not coming through via the ring, and KordTech doesn't have a tannoy system…

"How are you talking to me?"

"I used to like my small world. And then my world was forced to eat a cookie."

"Was that a metaphor?"

"Of course it's a metaphor! I have a doctorate in neuroscience, do you think I don't know how to use a metaphor!?"

"Usually, your references to Lewis Carroll are a bit more direct."

"I'm not exactly myself any more. And stop dithering, get in here. I want to do this directly."

Kara-. Hm. Scan is blocked, but she's got super hearing and I'm not being quiet.

"Kara, follow me when you've got a moment."

And then I press on into the workshop.

 

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
14:13 GMT -5

The first things that stands out are the closest two Peace Operatives, who are now sporting Mad Hatter… Headbands, in place of the usual hats. Headbands with a small piece of New God technology incorporated into them.

I don't think tearing their belts off is going to do the trick.

They both give me a slightly imperious once-over, but don't show any other interest. Behind them, two of their colleagues watch the other door while one is manhandling the globe into a cradle for Mr. Tetch.

Dr. Tetch isn't in costume. It's.. a little odd. I knew that he was 'short' rather than an actual dwarf, but his slightly oversized clothes always made him look smaller that he is. Now he's wearing pressed trousers and a normal-sized shirt under a lab coat. He's not even wearing a hat.

"Doctor Tetch, are you alright? You don't seem to be your normal self."

"I'm closer to being myself now than I have in years." He pulls some sort of Apokoliptian probe out of his pocket and points it at the globe. "Did you do this?"

"If you mean 'reassemble it', yes. You were inside it, weren't you?"

"I was. How did you reassemble it? And why?"

"I used the residual feeling of desire to put the parts that were meant to be together together. Why were you inside it?"

He turns to face me, face far more focused than in any of the recordings I've seen.

"Why don't you tell me?"

I smile. "Is that how Batman usually does it?"

"I wouldn't know." He glances aside for a moment, then snorts and shakes his head. "When it was him, I was usually too incoherent to really be aware of what was actually happening around me. I think.. Nygma mentioned that he liked to explain things, but that might have just been something he did to bring Nygma down."

"So… Alice in Wonderland..?"

"A well-written absurdist fantasy. I'm not fixated on it any more." He snort-laughs, shaking his head. "For now. I'm not actually 'better'. The white light just reset me to how I was before… Things went wrong. There's no reason why things can't happen the same way again."

"I'm not sure about that. You've gained experience and perspective on yourself."

He smiles grimly. "It's not that simple. Come on, what do you think I'm doing?"

"Ah… I think Mannheim was using your loose grip on reality, combined with the Anti-Life broadcast system, in an attempt to alter the nature of the world. To Anti-Life not just the people but the place, to… Manifest it, in some way. Is that right?"

"As far as I could tell. I was only coherent towards the end. He was… Overlaying my fantasy with… His." His face curls up in disgust.

"A great many people experienced things like that. If you'd like to talk to someone-."

"I can still feel it, you know."

Oh dear. "Feel the Anti-Life?"

"His… Dream. His fantasy. What he wanted to turn us all into. You'd think I'd be able to enjoy… This. Go back to work. Have some sort of life. But every time I tried to step away…"

"The machine for merging the left and right sides-."

"Oh, you found that? That was how Mannheim found me. I was trying to make my fantasies stronger to keep the Anti-Life out of my head."

"Did it work?"

He glares at me like I'm an idiot. "Of course it didn't work. It just made my fantasies darker."

"American McGee's Alice dark, or-."

"Yes, about that dark. Only rather than running around with a knife -which would at least have been something-, I was trapped in that. Total isolation like that isn't good for anyone, and I certainly wasn't in the best mental state."

"That sounds horrible. But I'm not… Really clear what you're doing now? You won't be able to reactivate that."

"No?"

"New God technology requires a New God to project their soul into it. I might be able to fake it a bit with my power rings, but that's it." Except… "Do you have a Mother Box?"

"No. Being plugged into a machine like this… Changed me." "I am the directing mind."

The globe… Shimmers? Pulses? There's definitely something about it that's more present than it was a moment ago.

Oh dear.

"Alright, so you can turn it on and that's probably got something to do with how you've hijacked the former Justifiers. But what are you trying to achieve? We already beat Mannheim."

"Did you?"

"Um. Well, he was effectively possessed by an alien tyrant god called Darkseid, and we're a long way off being able to kill or contain him. But everything about Darkseid was exorcised from Mannheim, and we scoured the Anti-Life from Earth. So. Yes?"

"So what are-" He points to one of the Peace Operatives. "-they?"

I grin, clenching my fists in excitement. "Thank you!"

"What?"

"Everyone's been telling me that they're nothing to worry about. It's just nice to have someone on the same wavelength as me where they're concerned. What in particular is it that bothers you about them? Is it the cultural elitism? Or the mind wiping? Or the bovine acceptance of-."

"What? What? No, stop, stop talking." By this point I've already stopped, but I wait for him to explain his complaint. "They're more photogenic Justifiers, they-."

"I agree completely."

He glares at me. "Stop agreeing with me!"

I affect a solemn expression. "I apologise. Please continue."

"I found enough Apokoliptian technology to hack those who were already vulnerable to Justification, but the rest are… Different enough that it didn't work." He gestures to the globe. "But with this, things are different."

"Darn it. Sorry, sorry."

"I'm glad that you appreciate your position."

"Yes, because now I've made as many supervillains as Ted has, so I can't hold his invisible cyborg chimp rampage over his head any more."

"I've hacked his control system! I know the true purpose of his slave-soldiers! And I will not let it happen, do you hear me!" Off With His Head!

"I understand completely. What exactly-"

The Peace Agents shudder, doubling over as blue armour plates begin growing over their skin!

 

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
14:17 GMT -5

"-do you mean?"

And some sort of red… Dot appears on their foreheads as their faces are covered, red lines of the sort I've come to associate with New God technology growing out from that point-.

Yes, okay, those are clearly O.M.A.C.s. In the comics, they were killer sleeper agents controlled by Brother Eye, an A.I. Batman built at his most paranoid to keep track of superhumans worldwide. I don't remember exactly what made it go rogue, and I definitely don't remember any kind of 'Global Peace Agency'. O.M.A.C.s in the comics were super strong, tough, could fly and project energy beams from their 'eye', as well as coming with a built-in hostage.

"Subjecting people who've already gone through two rounds of mind control to a worse form of mind control is not improving the situation."

"You knew, didn't you? I can see that you recognise them."

"They're outwardly similar to some drones from a parallel universe that attacked LexCorp a couple of years ago. I suspect that they share internal design elements as well. May I ask what you intend to do with them?"

"I'm going to use them to destroy the rest of his army."

"The rest of the Global Peace-."

"Don't call it that."

The O.M.A.C.s around me go from doubled over to standing at alert and as still as statues as the change takes effect. Their desire networks go from 'weak' to 'completely unreadable'.

"The rest of Batman's army is probably in the dark about their condition. Certainly, the rest of the Justice League are as well. We can go and talk to them about this-."

"As if they'll do anything! Do you know how many times the Justice League has offered to intervene in one issue or another and been turned down? They're probably thrilled to have the authority and force to do what they want!"

"Not that often, and they have ways of bypassing their restrictions."

"Oh really."

"The charter restrictions only apply to actual Justice League members, not sidekicks and affiliates. And there's no restriction on sharing 'essential information', so they can just get whatever intelligence the relevant nations provide and give it to someone who can do something about it. No one else wanted this."

"You did."

"Excuse me?"

"I saw your interview. Where you went on about how democracy didn't work when people were fundamentally unequal and how superhuman-ruled states endured the Anti-Life better."

"I… Did say that, and as far as I can tell it's true, but I don't see how you get from there to here."

"You..? Want this."

"You're the one who did it."

"Don't contradict me!" Oh dear. "Yes… Yes. A secret army for the Justice League in case anyone tries to resist you as you cement your control."

"But we don't need an army for that. They're just giving it to us. And I wish they weren't!"

"I don't believe you! You're all the same… All the same." "Kill him."

Fives heads turn-

"Go!"

-and glowing red lances of something exotic slam into my hastily-raised construct armour! I'm knocked back through the wall, construct armour cracking-

The far wall explodes as Kara Two bashes through it, slams into one of the O.M.A.C.s and then careens on through the room before smashing a second hole next to me!

"I got this one!"

-as I raise a construct shield. Okay, I should be able to jam their-.
"Keep fighting."
My construct jammer fails, sparking like it's an actual device rather than a construct.
"Attack!"
In the corner of my eye I see Dr. Tetch start.. fiddling with the globe using some sort of New God tool. One of the O.M.A.C.s interrupts my striding forwards, its beam's attack still racing against my ability to restore my construct armour in an attempt to actually hit me. Neither my plasma field not kinetic barrier appear to be doing anything to it, which either means that they have an inherent ability to disrupt them or the type of energy hitting me isn't technically either.

I don't know how tough they are and I can't just hit them as hard as I can because of the built-in hostage situation. Can't jam their link to what is almost certainly Brother Eye and can't mess with their heat exchange system for.. some reason.

The O.M.A.C. walking towards me stop firing, the eye on its forehead building in intensity for a moment before-. Flashing, glowing red dots appearing on each of its hands which it thrusts forwards-. Effortlessly piercing my construct barrier and-.

Construct pneumatic ram.

BOOF!

The O.M.A.C. is knocked flying!

Literally. It travels about three metres before stabilising itself in the air, and the other three precisely target the gap-

Gh-h!

-in my chest which is now not covered by construct armour. Evade!

Transition fails, but construct rockets fling me across the room and out of the path of the beams.

"In your own time, Canis!"

Two thin red beams punch through the ceiling, hitting one of the O.M.A.C. units in the eyepiece. Its beam cuts out and its epidermis undulates for a moment before snapping back. It and one of the others redirect their eye beams upwards, giving me just enough time to switch to my heavier armour. And knit my chest back together and re-establish-.

One of the O.M.A.C.s shooting at Kara One deactivates its eye beam and leaps, punching though the roof and presumably flying after her. The two still focusing on me also deactivate their eyebeams, instead moving to surround me with their hands glowing.

Activate crumbler gauntlets.

A punch from my left creates a thin rent in my construct armour. My counter-slap blackens the outer armour covering my attacker's forearm and shuts down the red light on its hand. Construct rockets then send me body slamming into it and knocking it back before I'm forced to spin on the spot to stop the second one attacking me from behind.

I need to get through the armour and rip the New God technology off them. Or-.

I fire an energy pulse at Dr. Tetch, but to his amusement it just sort of peters out before it can hit him. A second pulse at the globe does the same thing, then I'm forced to dance as the two O.M.A.C.s begin taking turns to swing at me, perfectly timing things to keep me from focusing on either of them. I'm reduced to repeatedly evading, and the outer surface of my armour is getting fairly beaten up from their brief penetrations.

Let's take this outside and find out how fast they are.

 

[Mr Zoat]

18th July 2013
14:20 GMT -5

I-

In the corner of my eye I spot Bobo peering down from the rafters, quite sensibly keeping his head down.

-generate construct boosters and blast myself back, ramming through the loading bay door and into the car park. Check-. Yes, they're following me so up, make sure that any shots that miss-

Like that one.

-don't hit a person or a building. Following me, good. Evasive motion, maintain distance, gain height. See what they do, because if I'm lucky then Dr. Tetch's control is distance limited and they might just revert.

No, it.. doesn't look like-. Ugh.

Alright, they can switch from big beam to pulse fire, and 'bait' distance is too close to dodge light speed attacks reliably. Railgun, crumbler round… Test whether it punches through their nanotech armour when it hits an arm or a leg, then… Go for the New God devices-.

They're slowing and stopping well below the clouds. I keep going up but they've-.

One begins to descend slowly, face pointing towards me and firing red bolts which we both know aren't going to cause significant damage at me… To keep me focused. The other turns face down and flies-. Back towards the city, red eye charging-!

I transition down, experiencing momentary relief that it's not still being jammed. Crumbler gauntlet punch-

A small part of me winces.

-to the O.M.A.C.'s face disrupts its charge but the energy release destroys the construct armour around my right arm. Its face… The armour is grey and flaking where I hit, but I can also see the red lines glowing as it's replaced almost immediately.

Hand-!

And apparently rearranging its face doesn't stop it seeing! It's formed its hands into blades, making them glow as it jabs at every part of my armour that it can reach! I can block-. Some angles by punching its forearms, knocking them off course and damaging the armour there. But it's a lot more agile than me and some of the hits are tearing through my cuirass. The armour is thick there, but I can't keep taking hits…

And apparently the repair function isn't working, which is concerning because matter transmutation is a pretty basic ring function-.

The O.M.A.C. that had stayed in the upper atmosphere to monitor me has followed us down, but it's just… Watching, the circuitry all over its head glowing.

Right.

Tran-. No, that's out again. Boosters, fly around the O.M.A.C. I'm fighting punch to the shoulder again again-! Hit flesh that time. Grapple, use construct boosters to interpose the O.M.A.C. I've grabbed between me and the other one. Can I repair the gashes now?

No.

Fine, then I can-.

Glowing hand-!

I gasp as a glowing red hand slices through my construct helmet, actual helmet, and passes close enough by my chin that my skin chars! I release them and go for a punch, but they drop down-

DODGE!

-under the beam the other one aimed right at my face! Okay, still alive, helmet… Basically gone-. Repair-.

Fuck!

Kara Two flashes me a smile as she and the O.M.A.C. she's beating shoot past, the O.M.A.C. training its face on me as it just accepts the punches to its chest.

"You're doing great!"

I'm-. Not, but-.

How come they're not jamming her? Kryptonian organelles should be-.

Mundane physics. Kryptonian biological force fields are a degree of magnitude more 'normal' than power rings. And… Aren't entirely unlike the O.M.A.C. energy siphon in general function. So I'm just lucky, I guess.

Back off, ignore the discomfort of the cold air on my exposed face. Inertia shield is still working so the wind isn't blinding me-.

Use constructs to dodge again, form a railgun construct, and… Ignore the fact that whatever they're doing appears to be weirdly selective about what it disrupts. Evasive pattern as both of the O.M.A.C.s targetting me go for pulsed shots again. Load crumbler rounds, target belt area on that one, check what's on the far side… Fine. Charge, fire-!

And they shot it out of the air. Both of them, at the same time.

Um.

Another railgun, load crumbler rounds and fire. They switch to point defence mode again but that gives me enough time without one of them jamming me to switch to knit my armour back together.
Better.

Alright, punching them is a bad idea and shooting them with crumbler rounds isn't working. Or-.

I fire at my two opponents, using my rings to carefully track Kara Two's opponent who appears to be happy to be used as a punching bag. Wait for it, keep moving to force them to recalculate angles… Fire!

The O.M.A.C.s jerk their heads around in apparent surprise as their pulses miss because I've retained my guns. The rounds hit-. Yes, okay, right in the abdomen and… One on the side, the armour greying-!

"Supergirl, hit-!"

She blurs closer, her eye beams burning as she thrusts her right hand through the armour, emerging a moment later with its belt, which she… Hurls away-.

"Careful with those!"

July 18th, 2013
14:22 EST

I had considered replacing or augmenting the glass with some sort of force field, but in the end I decided that the momentary pleasure I would receive from watching the alien slam into it like a bug on the windshield wasn't worth revealing my capacities. However, I think that this may be an opportune time to-.

The left window -which is supposed to be shatterproof- shatters as another one of those belt decorations embeds itself in my floor, the noise and wind of Metropolis making an unwelcome arrival a moment later.

Someone is going to answer for this.

18th July 2013
14:22 GMT -5

"Great! Now do the forehead!"

The damaged O.M.A.C. flails for a moment, and one of my opponents dashes in to pull it out of Kara Two's way. She grins.

"Get back here so I can help you!"

I target my remaining opponent while he's distracted, aiming-.

Another O.M.A.C. rockets into Kara Two's side, hands glowing and-

"Ow!"

-landing two solid punches which burn through her costume and blacken her skin before she can kick him away! I fire a volley of crumbler rounds, but the damaged O.M.A.C. appears functional enough to intercept them while-.

Where did that other O.M.A.C. come-?

Kara!