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

"So… Why doesn't he just send his killed robot after you? Or, y'know, his army?"
That should say 'killer'.

"To demonstrate to superiority of his outlook."
That should say 'the'.

"And what happens if you win?"

"I will control Mannheim's perspective. His Justified. In effect, the world."

I nod. "Then we need to do some practice sessions."
Good news, if Karon ends up ruling the world, Paul has an 'in' with her. I hope Paul will take some time off the OLC to support Karon and Holly after this is all over.
 
so, to use a different example, if Alan wants to maintain a 1TB file on his ring that is a Universe Wiki, he has to constantly be hoping that the file exists and stays correct? a Zamaron has to intensely love that file and it will stay consistent?

the whole thing is wild. i mean i'm perfectly happy to make suspensions of disbelief so none of this is an issue for me. it's all just so absurd and i love it.
I'd like to note the manthusans are proficient with regular non-light technology also.

The impression I got is the standard ring is a base substrate of solidified light (that allows forming hard light constructs according to that colors standard 'rules') that then has some additional advanced tech interlaced with it.

So you can have something like the situation with Alan's Ring. It used to be a regular Green Ring + Malthusian Supercomputer combo.

The Supercomputer part contained the database, analysis suite, communication rig, and gave some computer/tool aided assistance to at least some of the users construct use.

And could be disabled remotely separately from the base ring, because they were separate things.
And the stuff Alans ring could do (before the repair) is what the 'just the ring' could do.
No database at all (at least when used by a human)
 
6th February 2013
21:42 GMT -5


Imprisoned!

Surrounded!
Ooof. Like staring into the sun. Except the 'sun' is pitch-black weaponised depression and submissiveness. And yet, I can't believe this is the worst thing Robin has felt. The day of his parents' murder, for instance...

Though it seems to be slamming him more with fears than anything else. And if he's been involved in fighting Scarecrow before... He's felt fear.

Tapping on my-.

I'm swallowing the capsule before I really think of anything, and I know Bruce isn't going to be happy about that. Alexander said he's got some sort of cybernetic implant to stop him feeling the Anti-Life, and that's basically what Mr. Atom uses. But between Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy…
So many Gotham Freaks with a taste or talent for the chemical. Of course Batman made countermeasures.

Bruce came up with a pharmaceutical solution.

And it kicks in real quick. Funny thing is, it's not even illegal, just really unhealthy if you take it more than about once a month. But just like that, the buildings aren't trying to grab me or trap me, and the shadows are just shadows or at worst hiding places, rather than pits of evil and doom. The people around me aren't madmen with guns-.
Ooooh, the 'tripping balls' font. Been a while since we saw that. Kind of like Willpower in a pill, then?

Okay, Gotham, but not more than normal.

Gotta love those post-hypnotic suggestions!
Hey, it's not the craziest thing Batman has done in the name of preparedness.

Mistress is smiling at me. And with-. Okay, I'm high, but she doesn't exactly look like an Apostle of Darkseid. She's gotten a fitted suit from somewhere, but other than that, Karon Chase still looks like Karon Chase.

Except the dark glowing pits she has instead of eyes.
Oh, eerie. Weird eyes is always a good signal that things are not right.

And Holly being basically stuck to her side like she's on a boat in a storm and Karon's the other thing keeping her from going overboard.

"You mind turning the doom and gloom down a little?"
Ah, good to know she's taking care of her girl through all this. And to have it stated outright in-universe. No needing to dance around the issue now. :D

"Doom and-? Oh!"

She actually smiles, somehow, and-. Meadows and fluffy bunnies and it's a good job Wayne Pharmaceuticals isn't in the legal highs market. Tap tap, antidote, down the hatch! And don't make any major life choices or financial decision for the next couple of minutes.
I like that while the counter-agent is fast-acting, the counter-counteragent isn't. Just in case you need that hyper-sanity for a bit longer.

Artemis stop cringing quite so bad, and… I didn't even spot Match leave.

"You forgot?"
Hopefully he just retreated to stay out of range, rather than in an Anti-Life-driven fit of madness...

"I don't feel it. To me, what you saw is-."

Normal, yeah, yeah, I heard it from your lowlies.
And humans are surprisingly adaptable. If we have to endure something long enough, it quickly becomes normal.

"That fact that it's normal doesn't mean that it's not terrible."

Canis grins.
Right, him. Best to save the punitive punishment for after you negotiate with the local warlord.

"Is it not a marvellous duality! Despite the Anti-Life, she retains a degree of her personality! I cannot imagine Great Darkseid ever saying anything like that-"

I don't-.
Canis, please. Save the fanboyism for later?

"-like it's a bad thing!"

"You didn't grow up in Gotham, did you Robin?"
Kind of makes me wonder what Jason Todd will be like as a Robin if it happens here... Imagine the kid that could survive all that's happened in this universe...

:confused: ...Wait, is that why you adapted so well, Karon?

She uses her right hand to stroke Holly's hair, while her left gestures to the buildings around us.

And I'm not in the meadow any more.
So either the counter-agent is wearing off, or she's amping up the gloom a little to make a point.

"This isn't a dark fantasy or a tearing away of the veil. This is Gotham, as most people lived it. From the mobs to the supervillains, nothing really got better. The way it manifested changed… But so what?"

You mean you always felt like this?
She kind of has a point. Batman may have cleaned up organised crime, but the Freaks that rose in his wake... It's hard to deny that they're worse.

"It was always lurking in the background. It's not new for me."

"But Holly's…" Oh, coming down. The streets still look worse than they really are-. At least, worse than I hope they really are. But now I've had a chance to get into the right headspace, it's something I can cope with. Just about. "Still with you. What does that-? I mean, do you still love her?"
And honestly, I would be worried about her state of mind after being saturated with Anti-Life for over a month straight.

"I like to think so. But I don't know. Everything feels so different, now. But I will protect her anyway."

"But-. Why?"
Why not?

"Because if nothing matters, why not protect the one I decided to protect? The one thing that nearly makes me feel something rather than nothing? Why not do the thing that I decided to do?"

"And the evacuations?"
Ah, I think I understand how she's handling the Anti-Life now. Her love let her adapt, to overrule, to dominate, in order to keep what she loves safe. Even buried under all of that Anti-Life, that love lets her keep focused.

"The illusion is beautiful. I was happier. Why not let them believe for a little longer?"

Okay, that's… Good. Most city bosses are pretty contemptuous of everyone not like them.
As noted, the sort of people who would rise into that position would naturally be aligned that way. The Anti-Life would practically select for it...

"But do you see how it emphasises the hopelessness!"

And Canis is… Really too happy about this.
At least he's not 'happy' about it. :oops: I don't think any of us want to picture that Canis.

But the thing is…

"Yeah. I can."
And doesn't that just depress you more?

And he smiles, not because he's being… A dick, but because that makes him genuinely happy.

"I will pray to the Source for your enlightenment to continue."
...Please don't.

"I don't need that kind of enlightenment. Karon, what do you know about Bruno Mannheim?"

"I know him. In my dreams the truth wears his face. He will take this world and crush it as we cheer."
With six billion voices...

"He's coming here. Do you know why?"

"Me. I don't fit in. The Anti-Life in me is a counterpoint to the themes he is impressing on the soul of humanity."
A discordant note in his symphony of suffering, his song of subjugation...

"So… Why doesn't he just send his killed robot after you? Or, y'know, his army?"

Canis looks at me like I've said something stupid-.
Because of the laws of Narrative Combat. Something most non-New Gods can't even perceive.

"Because it's not artistic enough? Seriously?"

"Its how our power works, Robin! How the might of our souls clash and wrestle for dominance! This is no contest of peasants thrashing one another with pig-sticks! Did you think I invested myself in art for mere aestheticism?"
...Wait. Wait. Canis makes art... As a weapon for his form of Narrative Combat? :confused:

Yes, Canis, we all thought you were just weird about painting. That's literally-.

Oh no. I'm going to have to get Zatanna to go over every piece of art he's made since he got here, just so I can be sure he's not doing something to us.
Good grief. It's an insidious idea, isn't it?

"So he's coming here to fight you?"

"To demonstrate to superiority of his outlook."
And be seen crushing the discordance under his boot. Because using an underling to do it would not have the same impact, the same meaningfulness to it.

"Like a..?" Artemis looks like she's mostly recovered. "Like a debate?"

"Conducted with our souls."
...Oh god, it's going to be Godspeech everywhere, isn't it? :eek: Mobile users, be ready!

"And what happens if you win?"

"I will control Mannheim's perspective. His Justified. In effect, the world."

I nod. "Then we need to do some practice sessions."
Oh, boy. That's going to be trippy.

Well, that was an enlightening discussion. At least things have been resolved peacefully thus far. Let's just hope Karon can manage to learn enough about Narrative Combat to at least hold her own in the inevitable confrontation with Mannheim. But then, even a master has to fear a novice, simply because they may try something no master would ever consider viable...

And don't make any major life choices or financial decision for the next couple of minutes.
And don't make any major life choices or financial decisions for the next couple of minutes.
Artemis stop cringing quite so bad, and… I didn't even spot Match leave.
Artemis stops cringing quite so bad, and… I didn't even spot Match leave.

Normal, yeah, yeah, I heard it from your lowlies.
No.
You mean you always felt like this?
These lines should have Quotation marks, right, and thus be normal text? Unless he's just narrating out loud...
 
Mannheim: "Fools, I have subsumed you all with the formula of Anti-Life, existence is suffering, you will all-"

Average Gothamite: "Ehhh, fuck off, ya goon, it's 2 A.M.!"

Mannheim: "Wha- How do you still retain your sanity?! Life = Pain-"

Average Gothamite: "Yeah, yeah, and it's also tuesday, any other stunning observations you wanna tell us about, wise guy? Fuck you, we're tryin' to sleep here!"

Gothamite 2: *Pops head out window* "Yeah, fuck off! The Scarecrow pulled this kinda shit last week, get some new material! You ain't even bombed an orphanage yet, and you're already pullin' out the evil monologue? Lookit this galoot!"

*More Gothamites pop their heads out and keep heckling him*

Gothamites are just built different, man.
 
And Holly being basically stuck to her side like she's on a boat in a storm and Karon's the other thing keeping her from going overboard.
'only thing'?
Normal, yeah, yeah, I heard it from your lowlies.
You mean you always felt like this?
Should these have speech marks, or is Karon a mindreader, or is this a representation of Robin blurting out what he thinks because he's high?
"Its how our power works, Robin!
'It's'
 
That should say 'killer'.
That should say 'the'.
And don't make any major life choices or financial decisions for the next couple of minutes.
Artemis stops cringing quite so bad, and… I didn't even spot Match leave.

These lines should have Quotation marks, right, and thus be normal text? Unless he's just narrating out loud...
'only thing'?
'It's'
Thank you, corrected.
 
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Wow! She sounds like a Anti-nihilist who is channeling the Anti-life.

if that's the case, I can't express how awesome I think this concept is!

"If nothing in life has meaning, then just give it meaning."

"There can't possibly be any meaning in this world. But isn't that wonderful in its own right? Because if there isn't any, we can find our own."

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheAntiNihilist
 
Wow! She sounds like a Anti-nihilist who is channeling the Anti-life.

if that's the case, I can't express how awesome I think this concept is!

"If nothing in life has meaning, then just give it meaning."

"There can't possibly be any meaning in this world. But isn't that wonderful in its own right? Because if there isn't any, we can find our own."

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheAntiNihilist
This reminds me of the fight against the Key. Paul, in response to Barda telling him what Purpose=Failure is supposed to mean, argues that everything is inherently meaningless until someone gives it meaning. This makes me hope that he'll be looking out for Karon and Holly after this, as I'm betting a few people will remember/recognize Karon as Mistress after Mannheim is defeated.
 
This reminds me of the fight against the Key. Paul, in response to Barda telling him what Purpose=Failure is supposed to mean, argues that everything is inherently meaningless until someone gives it meaning. This makes me hope that he'll be looking out for Karon and Holly after this, as I'm betting a few people will remember/recognize Karon as Mistress after Mannheim is defeated.
A part of me wonders if her Gothamite mindset is a nod to the entity Barbatos. I don't know much other than he's very evil, he's a recycler of the dark multiverse and he has a connection to every Gotham in existence.

That last one might be canon though. Anyway if they're both still alive after this, I'd be surprised if they could return to normal life afterwards. This kinda things sounds like a superhero origin.
 
A part of me wonders if her Gothamite mindset is a nod to the entity Barbatos. I don't know much other than he's very evil, he's a recycler of the dark multiverse and he has a connection to every Gotham in existence.

That last one might be canon though. Anyway if they're both still alive after this, I'd be surprised if they could return to normal life afterwards. This kinda things sounds like a superhero origin.

Barbatos most likely doesn't exist here since he's a n52 character and Zoat generally doesn't use those.

Granted, if there was a pre n52 Barbatos, then he may exist.

Her mindset is probably the result of just growing up in a very shitty city.
 
I feel like putting a normal human soul up against an artificial new god in a soul clash is an unfair contest.
They need to be prepared to cheat, hard.

Whether that means getting the Greek gods involved, or playing heavily into Karin's own themes and having her just stab Mannheim. I don't know.
 
Lantern Conspiracies (part 12)
4th November 1999
11:36 GMT


"And who or what is the Conduit?"

It's fitting that the thing keeping the vampire trapped isn't bars or ropes, but the sunlight coming in through the windows around it. There's nowhere at all it can escape, and it knows it well. It lost its glamour machine when Nick and I broke into its apartment, so I don't know how it thinks it's going to get away.

"I won't tell y-. AGH!"

Its tail twitched into a beam of light, and its flesh blackened. I think seeing a vampire like this is bringing out my vicious side.

"Look… Sharmiane, was it?" The vampire just glares at him. "It's at least six hours until dark, and the way the light angles through those windows… I don't think you'll last that long."

The vampire hisses impotently at him.

"Now, if you're a good little snake and cooperate, I can make a call and get you a place in a nice dark Alliance prison cell. Otherwise…"

Nick shrugs.

"It doesn't look good for you."

"They're-. Worthless thieves."

"So they stole that shipment."

"They boarded the ship, reprogrammed the computer and stole our weapons before we could take them back!"

"So they didn't take them to where you were originally going to take them?"

"Of course not."

That's an odd thing. If Rinaker got a tip off about the shipment from monitoring the vampires, then Ling should have gone to the original destination. Or he could have attacked the ship while it was out at sea. But if it went somewhere else, he must have known that something happened to it.

"Interesting. I assume that messages proving that are on your computer?"

The vampires hisses in irritation. "Of course not. You think I leave things like that written down? Do you think I'm stupid?"

Nick looks over at me, smiling.

"Well…"

"If I'm the stupid one, why did the Alliance need me to tell them about the shipment!"

Nick raises his eyebrows, slowly turning his head back towards the vampire. The vampire looks unsure of itself for a moment. But pride wins out.

"I knew that we couldn't recapture them, so I thought laterally. You Alliance people and the Conduit dealing with each other was the best result we could get! And blowing up a British airbase! I don't think they're going to be very happy with you!"

No, though I'm not sure that Rinaker cares all that much. Shouldn't be surprised that using a vampire as a source didn't work out too well.

"Happy? Probably not. But British Intelligence have been a big help. They don't like guns in their country."

Not voluntarily helpful. But they've been running around like headless chickens the last two days, and Nick's been learning things from Fitz.

"But let's get back to the Conduit. I think the Alliance is probably going to want to take a closer look at them. Anything you feel willing to share… It might make us deal with your problem for you."

"Waifs and strays. Worthless species who cling together for support."

That's a curious thing, so it is. I always thought that different species on Earth kept to their own kind.

"Other aliens?"

"Food. They're too weak to make their own way, so they steal the products of our work."

Or rather, the work of the humans they enslave with their bites.

"Did you tell the Alliance that they had the shipment?"

"No." The vampire smiles, and I'm this close to blasting it in its stupid face. "They still thought it was us."

"Where would I find these 'Conduit' people?"

"Around. Out of the way, poor places. They're too weak to hold territory. Whenever we find a nest of them, they abandon it almost immediately. They'll never be more than a nuisance, but they can be a very annoying nuisance."

"Who's in charge?"

"I have no idea. I think they use a cell structure, but I don't know if that's something they actually planned, or just a result of them being badly organised."

"And what about the Green Knight?"

"The..? Green Knight?" The vampire looks confused. "That's… Ancient history."

"You'd be surprised."

"Queen Mab's champion." He glares at me for a moment. "Hasn't been seen for hundreds of years. Maybe thousands; I'd have to check."

I roll my eyes. "Queen Mab doesn't have a champion."

"Not any more. But the records I saw are clear that they fought besides one another. And the banshees have never been keen on other species."

I snort. "And the vampires are?"

"I love humans. Some of my best dinners have been human-. AGH!"

Nick lowers his wrist. He used the metal of his watch to reflect the sun onto the vampire.

"You vampires haven't done anything that would have brought him out of retirement, have you?"

"No?" It blinks. "You mean he's active?"

Nick nods. "And working with the Conduit. Apparently, he still doesn't like vampires very much."

The vampire looks at me. "Is Mab really planning to start a war? Against the resources that the Vampire Families have in this day and age? You'd be annihilated!"

Does Queen Mab want a war? We haven't done much against the vampires for as long as I've been alive. And I don't remember Mab ever talking to a Green Knight. A glowing green man walking around the caverns would be something that would stick in my mind.

"Six billion humans and a few hundred vampires, Sharmiane. If a war ever went public, let's not kid ourselves about who'd get annihilated."

"Because the Alliance is so eager to step into the…" The vampire glares at the beam of sunlight. "Light."

"Maybe not. But from the sounds of things, the Conduit are more of a problem for you than for us."

Nick turns away from the vampire and nods towards the door. I-.

The wall explodes and I'm thrown to the floor as plasma bolts fly over my head. Nick's further away and so stays standing up, making him an-

"Five seconds!"

-ideal target.

Nick grabs me and dives out of the room as the wall explodes, the vampire dashing through the sunlight into the back of a waiting van.

"AAAAGH!"

Nick lets go and I raise my arms at the same time he raises his pistol, but the driver is already getting away. Nick holds fire, so I do too. Nick doesn't chase them, so neither do I. I hope he's got a good explanation.

"Is there a reason we be letting them get away?"

Nick nods and smiles, so I think he's got some kind of plan. "London's got the best CCTV network in the world, and thanks to Kraker we've got full access. I want to see where they go."
 
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4th November 1999
11:36 GMT


"And who or what is the Conduit?"

It's fitting that the thing keeping the vampire trapped isn't bars or ropes, but the sunlight coming in through the windows around it. There's nowhere at all it can escape, and it knows it well. It lost its glamour machine when Nick and I broke into its apartment, so I don't know how it thinks it's going to get away.
It still makes me wonder how a species could have such an aversion to sunlight. And how badly they react to it at all. But I get the feeling this little hidey-hole isn't as good a cage as you think it might be, Sh'lainn.

"I won't tell y-. AGH!"

Its tail twitched into a beam of light, and its flesh blackened. I think seeing a vampire like this is bringing out my vicious side.
Hey, they're apparently universally assholes. No bad karma in treating them rough.

"Look… Sharmiane, was it?" The vampire just glares at him. "It's at least six hours until dark, and the way the light angles through those windows… I don't think you'll last that long."

The vampire hisses impotently at him.
Do keep in mind, snake-face: one tug of those curtains and you're toast. Dark, crunchy, crumbly toast. :confused: ...Dangit, now I'm hungry.

"Now, if you're a good little snake and cooperate, I can make a call and get you a place in a nice dark Alliance prison cell. Otherwise…"

Nick shrugs.
To be fair, it sounds better than becoming briquettes.

"It doesn't look good for you."

"They're-. Worthless thieves."
Ah, admitting someone outsmarted you? That's got to sting.

"So they stole that shipment."

"They boarded the ship, reprogrammed the computer and stole our weapons before we could take them back!"
Gee, too bad. Couldn't have happened to nicer folks.

"So they didn't take them to where you were originally going to take them?"

"Of course not."
Which is itself suspicious. Not on the Conduit folks' part, though...

That's an odd thing. If Rinaker got a tip off about the shipment from monitoring the vampires, then Ling should have gone to the original destination. Or he could have attacked the ship while it was out at sea. But if it went somewhere else, he must have known that something happened to it.

"Interesting. I assume that messages proving that are on your computer?"
...Heh. I wonder what butterflies would result if Rinaker got outed early by something this simple.

The vampires hisses in irritation. "Of course not. You think I leave things like that written down? Do you think I'm stupid?"

Nick looks over at me, smiling.
Well, if the face fits...

"Well…"

"If I'm the stupid one, why did the Alliance need me to tell them about the shipment!"
...That's a good question. Care to walk us through it, smart guy?

Nick raises his eyebrows, slowly turning his head back towards the vampire. The vampire looks unsure of itself for a moment. But pride wins out.

"I knew that we couldn't recapture them, so I thought laterally. You Alliance people and the Conduit dealing with each other was the best result we could get! And blowing up a British airbase! I don't think they're going to be very happy with you!"
Maybe, maybe not. There's going to be people asking questions about it, after all...

No, though I'm not sure that Rinaker cares all that much. Shouldn't be surprised that using a vampire as a source didn't work out too well.

"Happy? Probably not. But British Intelligence have been a big help. They don't like guns in their country."
I wonder if a certain fellow will be getting put on the case? ;)

Not voluntarily helpful. But they've been running around like headless chickens the last two days, and Nick's been learning things from Fitz.

"But let's get back to the Conduit. I think the Alliance is probably going to want to take a closer look at them. Anything you feel willing to share… It might make us deal with your problem for you."
Admittedly, I doubt the Vampire has the nicest view of the unaligned species.

"Waifs and strays. Worthless species who cling together for support."

That's a curious thing, so it is. I always thought that different species on Earth kept to their own kind.
Sometimes, a group might be too small to manage that, though. The goblins and fauns, for example, might not be that populous.

"Other aliens?"

"Food. They're too weak to make their own way, so they steal the products of our work."
Ah, right. His species is carnivourous. With a taste for sapience, of course.

Or rather, the work of the humans they enslave with their bites.

"Did you tell the Alliance that they had the shipment?"
I wonder how long the effects last. Does it wear off, or is it one nibble and you're a lifelong slave...

"No." The vampire smiles, and I'm this close to blasting it in its stupid face. "They still thought it was us."

"Where would I find these 'Conduit' people?"
Ah, imagine if he and the Emerald Knight tried to make contact with the same group at the same time... :D I'm sure hilarity would ensue.

"Around. Out of the way, poor places. They're too weak to hold territory. Whenever we find a nest of them, they abandon it almost immediately. They'll never be more than a nuisance, but they can be a very annoying nuisance."

"Who's in charge?"
Until now, vamp. Not with a certain fellow running around...

"I have no idea. I think they use a cell structure, but I don't know if that's something they actually planned, or just a result of them being badly organised."

"And what about the Green Knight?"
Heh. Naturally they'd ask about him. After that little close encounter earlier.

"The..? Green Knight?" The vampire looks confused. "That's… Ancient history."

"You'd be surprised."
And evidently Roswaul caught the vampires off guard too. Then again, he hasn't encountered vamps directly yet.

"Queen Mab's champion." He glares at me for a moment. "Hasn't been seen for hundreds of years. Maybe thousands; I'd have to check."

I roll my eyes. "Queen Mab doesn't have a champion."
Not these days, no. Though now I bet Sh'lainn has suspicions...

"Not any more. But the records I saw are clear that they fought besides one another. And the banshees have never been keen on other species."

I snort. "And the vampires are?"
...Well, maybe for lunch.

"I love humans. Some of my best dinners have been human-. AGH!"

Nick lowers his wrist. He used the metal of his watch to reflect the sun onto the vampire.
Heh. Getting real nice 'Blade' vibes here. The interrogation of Pearl, from the first movie...

"You vampires haven't done anything that would have brought him out of retirement, have you?"

"No?" It blinks. "You mean he's active?"
Well, there goes its smug superiority. It appears Percival left an impression on them.

Nick nods. "And working with the Conduit. Apparently, he still doesn't like vampires very much."

The vampire looks at me. "Is Mab really planning to start a war? Against the resources that the Vampire Families have in this day and age? You'd be annihilated!"
Ah, overconfidence. Makes you say things you might not have said otherwise.

Does Queen Mab want a war? We haven't done much against the vampires for as long as I've been alive. And I don't remember Mab ever talking to a Green Knight. A glowing green man walking around the caverns would be something that would stick in my mind.

"Six billion humans and a few hundred vampires, Sharmiane. If a war ever went public, let's not kid ourselves about who'd get annihilated."
Though it would be messy.

"Because the Alliance is so eager to step into the…" The vampire glares at the beam of sunlight. "Light."

"Maybe not. But from the sounds of things, the Conduit are more of a problem for you than for us."
Thinking of offering an alliance with the Alliance, Nick?

Nick turns away from the vampire and nods towards the door. I-.

The wall explodes and I'm thrown to the floor as plasma bolts fly over my head. Nick's further away and so stays standing up, making him an-
Well, shit. Looks like vampire guy had a panic button or something handy.

"Five seconds!"

-ideal target.
He is a pretty big guy... Even before you factor in the artstyle.

Nick grabs me and dives out of the room as the wall explodes, the vampire dashing through the sunlight into back of a waiting van.

"AAAAGH!"
Hope he enjoys his tan. :p

Nick lets go and I raise my arms at the same time he raises his pistol, but the driver is already getting away. Nick holds fire, so I do too. Nick doesn't chase them, so neither do I. I hope he's got a good explanation.

"Is there a reason we be letting them get away?"

Nick nods and smiles, so I think he's got some kind of plan. "London's got the best CCTV network in the world, and thanks to Kraker we've got full access. I was to see where they go."
Oh, sneaky. And not only will you get that destination, you got some interesting info out of the snake-face...

Clever fellow, Nick is. Though I get the feeling it's more of an Indy ploy than a Batman gambit. I suppose he's good at making it up as he goes. Surprised the Alliance doesn't have some kind of tracking device for occasions like this, though. At any rate, the plot thickens, and knowing the protagonists' luck, they'll find a Conduit cell at the same time Roswaul does...
 
It still makes me wonder how a species could have such an aversion to sunlight.

Simply put their original planet had much weaker sunlight. Take a person from a nordic country and move them to the equator line, they aren't gonna have a good time with the sunlight. Now this is of course more extreme but their biology is just not adapted to Earth's sun.

Also in real life we have albinos.
 
Simply put their original planet had much weaker sunlight. Take a person from a nordic country and move them to the equator line, they aren't gonna have a good time with the sunlight. Now this is of course more extreme but their biology is just not adapted to Earth's sun.

Also in real life we have albinos.

Or they may have evolved underground.
 

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