With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

7th November 2012
Roughly 10:16 GMT -5

"Eagle, vulture, any idea how we get back to the material world?"

The eagle's back on Alan's perch, but he's slightly hunched over and his head jerks around to stare in a new direction every few seconds. Since we have no idea where we're going Alan and I opted to take position directly above the Liberty Fountain-.

"And you don't think this is the blood of patriots and tyrants, do you?"

Alan frowns. "Patriots and-? Oh. I'm not sure that fits, thematically. Americans are supposed to be willing to bleed to see tyrants brought down, it's virtuous behavior. I think it's more likely to be the blood of innocents ground under wheels, something like that."

I turn my head to look at the vulture on my pauldron, who ruffles her wings.

"I don't usually ask where the blood comes from."

"I thought that vultures could smell corpses from a mile away."

"Corpses generally stay in one place, and by the time they're dead enough to smell the bleeding has generally stopped. Kind of why I was hanging around here, actually. If I see something bleeding this much it usually means that something is about to die and it's time to short it."

"Short it-?" Ugh. "You're the Vulture of Freedom, because in a free economy asset stripping and short selling and debt loading are viable strategies, even if they're harmful to society as a whole."

"I don’t kill things. But if they're dying anyway, why not fill my beak?"

The eagle actually perks up, staring at.. either me or the vulture.

"She is death! Death!"

Alan chuckles quietly to himself, prompting the three of us to turn and give him a funny look. He just shrugs.

"Oh, come on Paul. How many new experiences do you think I get at my age? It's not all positive, but… What was it you said? When I'm confronted by evil, I will rejoice, because when I'm done with the evil then it won't be there any more." He looks over at the city. "This place is a mess. But if it's literally the worst parts of American history made manifest… What happens when we fix it?"

"I think it's meant to be broken."

He looks a little disappointed. "Well, now. That doesn't sound like you. What happens to America if we change things around here?"

"We… Mind control an entire country, which is something I'd rather avoid doing."

He frowns. "Is that how it works?"

"This place is a representation of the American psyche, right?"

"Ah."

"Now, the influence is probably two-way at this point, so we can probably justify some improvements, but I don't want to root-and-branch the whole place."

"No, I… You're probably right. So, any idea how to get out?"

The eagle shrugs. "Normally, you find a site of spiritual significance and make a ritualistic connection. But that Prince of the World thing forced us through."

"Whow whow whow." The vulture fans out her wings and then goes rather still. "The Prince sent you here?"

Alan nods. "That's right."

"You're not getting out, then. This is his place. He controls the ways in and out."

"This is the bad place!"

Alan strokes the eagle's head in what I imagine is supposed to be a reassuring way. It doesn't appear to be helping.

"Paul, any ideas?"

"I imagine that-. Okay, before we go any further, did you read my report of my meeting with Boss Smiley?"

"Ah… Yeah, but I don't remember all the details."

"He claimed to be an arcane life form devoted to controlling humanity by limiting our development. He offered me a deal where I could develop all of the technology I want with his institutional aid but he would control what went mainstream."

"So we find him and beat him up?"

"If it were that simple I'd have already done it. He's nebulous, hard enough to pin down that even the angels weren't sure that he even really exists." Great. "At least we know who's replaced Uncle Sam; the living embodiment of political corruption. Vulture, does he actually..? Have a physical form here?"

"Maybe."

"'Maybe' as in you want something for telling us, or 'maybe' as in you don't know?"

"'Maybe' as in I'm only here so I can eat you when you die. I'm not about to share what I know about the god of my conceptual world because that sounds like a good way to have a little accident."

"Do you know Professor Demetrios Prokopios?"

"No?"

"He's the man who protects Earth's economy from people like you. Not always successfully, but well enough to keep things functioning in a nearly-sane way. He's a friend of mine. So I'm pretty sure that he'd be rather happy if I removed you as a problem."

"You can't risk it. And you don't want to mind control people."

"Ah, it's about judging the greatest risk to people. And I don't need to kill you, not when I've got an orange power ring. I can just convert you into orange light. Or brand you into compliance and then undo it once we're finished. I don't think that would cause lasting harm, but given what you are I don't think I'd mind too much if it did."

The vulture peers into my eyes for a moment, then cringes slightly. "I can respect a strong negotiating position. He's strongest at focuses of political power."

"Washington."

"The First of the Fallen used to come here, in the guise of Abraham Lincoln. He hasn't been here recently-."

"And he won't be back."

"Boss Smiley's people don't appear when he's around."

"His people?"

"I don’t know what they are, exactly. His favourites. The aspects of corruption that he likes the most."

"And what can they do?"

"Anything. This is their place. Everything here's as bad as Boss Smiley likes it to be, which is pretty bad."

Right. Conceptual realm, conceptual beings. We can… Probably only beat them by playing their game better than them.

Alan nods. "But we can get out in Washington?"

"Rule by force is a pretty normal thing, here. If you can pull it off then you've been vicious enough to demand it."

"Then I guess that's where we're going."

"Yes, but after I find out where this blood is coming from."

I angle myself to fly down, then stop when I feel Alan's hand on my shoulder.

"Ah, Paul? Maybe you shouldn't do that."