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

Coda · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"No one else"

Missing full stop.

Mr Zoat · Nov 18, 2023

Reconstruction

18th February 2013
13:01 GMT

I open my eyes, the ceiling of my facility…

My…

Hm.

The N.E.M.O. facility in Bir Tawil. I rebuilt it last night, with a few modifications that I'd been thinking about for a while but couldn't be bothered to make when the place was intact. The defences… They were… Fine. They were never intended to make the place invulnerable; it's a home with a few defences rather than a fortress, and…

And it's still not the same after someone's broken in.

At least I can't feel the Anti-Life, so that's something.

"Mister Atom to Orange Lantern. Respond."

I lift the duvet and bed sheet off and shuffle around, dropping my legs off the right side of the bed. I could probably have stayed in the field a little longer. Lanterns can keep working without sleep for a couple of weeks without much of a drop in performance. But Mr. Atom found that even superheroes who could function for long periods started making poorer decisions if they experienced frequent high-stress situations or kept going without sleep. Combined with Anti-Life exposure…

It's a bit like World War Z, where psychologists kept tabs on soldiers who were fighting zombies and the moment they saw their performance dip they ordered them off the line for a breather. A pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

"Responding."

I don't know if I'll keep this place. I could just return it to wilderness or remodel it as an actual spaceport. It's just nice to have somewhere that's mine.

I get up and don my lightest armour. We haven't found Vincent Edge and I don't know where my final clone ended up -obviously the same place- but there's… For the first time in a long time there's no fighting going on anywhere on Earth. I doubt that it will last, but it's nice while it does.

"Where do you need me?"

"Have you ingested nutrients today?"

"I just woke-. No."

"Take fifteen minutes, Orange Lantern. Your briefing will begin after that time."

Fine. Fine.

I head out onto the balcony, out of the room but still inside the area covered by the environmental control system. It's sunny, and the rocks, sand and sea look exactly as it did yesterday. There's a faint smell from the desert and from rotting seaweed along the beach. Reminds me of family days on Eastbourne seafront. The kitchen is one floor down and there's an internal staircase as well, but…

It's a nice view.

Down the stairs to the next balcony down, and then inside into the kitchen.

"Can you at least tell me if Atlantis is back in contact?"

"No."

I pull open the cereal cabinet.

What do I.. feel.. like..?

I pull out the Start packet and put it on the work surface. Then a bowl and a milk bottle. Jade laughed when she found out that I keep milk in glass bottles instead of plastic ones. I see her point: I hadn't actually had milk in a milk bottle from a milkman for years before coming to this Earth, and four pint plastic bottles with screw on lids are more practical.

It just… Has good associations. And doesn't produce microplastic waste.

And I think today is a pineapple juice day.

Bowl in my left hand and glass in my right, I amble back to the balcony and sit down at the table.

"How about personal news?"

"I still have not received my newspaper."

"I didn't know that you read newspapers."

"Noted."

"It just seems a little inefficient."

I take a sip of pineapple juice.

"I read the newspapers for metatextual reasons. I am reading to learn about the writers, not about what they write about. If I needed actual information I would investigate the subject myself."

My first spoonful of Starts crunch in my mouth, the accompanying milk mildly sweetened by the glucose sticking the multi-grain shapes together. I guess that Kellogg's will probably survive, though getting production started back up will be difficult. And I should probably see what sort of state Cadbury's is in at some point. It's not an absolute priority but I feel a degree of personal responsibility.

"Learning about how information travels around human civilisation? How people form their views?"

"It would harm the study if any human understood its purpose."

"Fine, fine." Another spoon of crunch. "What did you experience when we used the white light?"

"Nothing. I surmise that I was too far from an Anti-Life broadcaster and not otherwise linked to the Anti-Life."

"Lucky you."

"That is one interpretation. The other is that I lack something fundamental to the human condition."

"Is that a problem for you?"

"I would prefer the choice as to whether to expunge the trait or not."

Yeah. So would Batman.

Crunch.

"Do you want to..? Talk about..?"

"No."

"Batman was about to say what your greatest fear was."

"He was going to guess."

"Mannheim might not have had the technology to Anti-Life an AI, but that doesn't mean that you don't have emotions."

"That is a true statement."

"If you don't want to talk about it, then we won't. But you did the world a major favour this last month, and I want to thank you. If that means helping you get over a fear-."

"'Get over'. Explain."

"I don't know how your systems handle it, but with humans, it's sometimes helpful to talk about a fear with someone. Because you build it up in your mind and talking to an uninvolved party might help you put it in its proper perspective."

"That is unlikely. You have eleven minutes remaining of compulsory inactivity. Once they have elapsed, I will contact you again with your assignment."

Mr Zoat · Nov 18, 2023

Coda said:
Missing full stop.

Thank you, corrected.

BR549 · Nov 18, 2023

I'd wager Mr. Atom's greatest fear is not being able to fulfill his purpose. He was built for it, and it's clear from what we've seen of him that he genuinely wants to fulfill it. But if something were to prevent it...

KenNM · Nov 18, 2023

Decided to reread things from the start, and got side tracked wiki walking.

So, OL stated a couple of times that the League members don't get paid, thought so too until recently. But apparently according to WoG they do. It does make sense. They get a ton of funding and well, they're probably smart enough to realize that most people aren't billionares and still got bills to pay.

Oglymogly · Nov 18, 2023

Can humans handle Mister Atom ruling the planet without Anti-Life looming? I'm interested in seeing this fallout!

Darko · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"I read it newspapers

"read the"

Chojin Patriarch · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Reconstruction

18th February 2013
13:01 GMT

I open my eyes, the ceiling of my facility…

I wonder if he had any peculiar dreams overnight. I suspect most of humanity were just enjoying their first night of sleep without the whispers of Anti-Life for the first time in months... Or suffering nightmares from their actions in that time. Earth's got a lot of healing to do...

My…

Hm.

One of the few things that's really yours, eh? Except not really, because you didn't build it, Manga Khan did.

The N.E.M.O. facility in Bir Tawil. I rebuilt it last night, with a few modifications that I'd been thinking about for a while but couldn't be bothered to make when the place was intact. The defences… They were… Fine. They were never intended to make the place invulnerable; it's a home with a few defences rather than a fortress, and…

And it's still not the same after someone's broken in.

Never happened to me thus far, thankfully, but I understand that sort of sense of violation is a common aftermath of burglaries.

At least I can't feel the Anti-Life, so that's something.

"Mister Atom to Orange Lantern. Respond."

Very prompt, Atom. Were you watching him sleep?

I lift the duvet and bed sheet off and shuffle around, dropping my legs off the right side of the bed. I could probably have stayed in the field a little longer. Lanterns can keep working without sleep for a couple of weeks without much of a drop in performance. But Mr. Atom found that even superheroes who could function for long periods started making poorer decisions if they experienced frequent high-stress situations or kept going without sleep. Combined with Anti-Life exposure…

Exhaustion would weaken whatever defences they had, yes... Never mind the mental stress of prolonged service.

It's a bit like World War Z, where psychologists kept tabs on soldiers who were fighting zombies and the moment they saw their performance dip they ordered them off the line for a breather. A pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

"Responding."

I always liked Cyberpunk's method of tracking this: Humanity damage. Mostly suffered through unnecessary augmentation, but it could also be dealt by experiencing horrific or traumatic events. Take too much and you lose the ability to empathise with people, reducing the Empathy stat. Lose too much, and... Well, it rarely ends well and usually removes the character as playable.

I don't know if I'll keep this place. I could just return it to wilderness or remodel it as an actual spaceport. It's just nice to have somewhere that's mine.

I get up and don my lightest armour. We haven't found Vincent Edge and I don't know where my final clone ended up -obviously the same place- but there's… For the first time in a long time there's no fighting going on anywhere on Earth. I doubt that it will last, but it's nice while it does.

Unfortunately, sooner or later someone is going to do something stupid and set off a powder keg. And sadly, humans are very good at that.

"Where do you need me?"

"Have you ingested nutrients today?"

Seriously, I know an unhealthy cape is a less efficient cape, but seriously?

"I just woke-. No."

"Take fifteen minutes, Orange Lantern. Your briefing will begin after than time."

And before you say 'I don't need to eat', OL... The very act of eating can reduce stress.

Fine. Fine.

I head out onto the balcony, out of the room but still inside the area covered by the environmental control system. It's sunny, and the rocks, sand and sea looks exactly as it did yesterday. There's a faint smell from the desert and from rotting seaweed along the beach. Reminds me of family days on Eastbourne seafront. The kitchen is one floor down and there's an internal staircase as well, but…

There's nothing quite like the scent of a seaside home, is there? Even if you stop noticing the salt smell after a while...

It's a nice view.

Down the stairs to the next balcony down, and then inside into the kitchen.

I'm reminded of the Portal 2 opening sequence... "You should now feel mentally reinvigorated. If you suspect staring at art has not provided the required intellectual sustenance, reflect briefly on this classical music. [MUSIC INTERRUPTED BY BUZZER]"

"Can you at least tell me if Atlantis is back in contact?"

"No."

Typical. Does that mean he won't tell you until later, or that they aren't in contact? I suppose you'll find out in fifteen minutes.

I pull open the cereal cabinet.

What do I.. feel.. like..?

Ah, a simple human joy: Picking your food.

I pull out the Start packet and put it on the work surface. Then a bowl and a milk bottle. Jade laughed when she found out that I keep milk in glass bottles instead of plastic ones. I see her point: I hadn't actually had milk in a milk bottle from a milkman for years before coming to this Earth, and four pint plastic bottles with screw on lids are more practical.

It just… Has good associations. And doesn't produce microplastic waste.

I mean, there might be a variance in taste. But not one you'd notice without a detailed Ring scan.

And I think today is a pineapple juice day.

Bowl in my left hand and glass in my right, I amble back to the balcony and sit down at the table.

The only downside of this is that you're eating alone.

"How about personal news?"

"I still have not received my newspaper."

...Yeah, I should have expected that to be a priority.

"I didn't know that you read newspapers."

"Noted."

I mean, it's an understandable assumption that he wouldn't, given more efficient methods for data acquisition.

"It just seems a little inefficient."

I take a sip of pineapple juice.

...Like simply looking things up on the internet. Especially since you could aggregate information from multiple sources that way.

"I read the newspapers for metatextual reasons. I am reading to learn about the writers, not about what they write about. If I needed actual information I would investigate the subject myself."

My first spoonful of Starts crunch in my mouth, the accompanying milk mildly sweetened by the glucose sticking the multi-grain shapes together. I guess that Kellogg's will probably survive, though getting production started back up will be difficult. And I should probably see what sort of state Cadbury's is in at some point. It's not an absolute priority but I feel a degree of personal responsibility.

...I'm more of a Rice bubbles man myself. Or Corn Flakes. But each to their own. And I could see OL taking an interest in both companies beyond what he has already just out of a desire for better food.

"Learning about how information travels around human civilisation? How people form their views?"

"It would harm the study if any human understood its purpose."

How scientific of you. But wouldn't a Control subject be useful?

"Fine, fine." Another spoon of crunch. "What did you experience when we used the white light?"

"Nothing. I surmise that I was too far from an Anti-Life broadcaster and not otherwise linked to the Anti-Life."

And that's the hopeful reasoning, The alternative is...

"Lucky you."

"That is one interpretation. The other is that I lack something fundamental to the human condition."

Well, it's not impossible. 'AI is a crapshoot' and all that.

"Is that a problem for you?"

"I would prefer the choice as to whether to expunge the trait or not."

...What if it turns out to be a fundamental part of your basic processes?

Yeah. So would Batman.

Crunch.

Yeah, that sentiment isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Do you want to..? Talk about..?"

"No."

Well, at least he's honest about it.

"Batman was about to say what your greatest fear was."

"He was going to guess."

And that's not an indicator of anything. He might simply have reasonable threat conditions that are equivalent to fears.

"Mannheim might not have had the technology to Anti-Life an AI, but that doesn't mean that you don't have emotions."

"That is a true statement."

But you're not going to cop to whether you have any, huh?

"If you don't want to talk about it, then we won't. But you did the world a major favour this last month, and I want to thank you. If that means helping you get over a fear-."

"'Get over'. Explain."

I mean, he could manage that simply by modifying a line or two of code, I suppose.

"I don't know how your systems handle it, but with humans, it's sometimes helpful to talk about a fear with someone. Because you build it up in your mind and talking to a uninvolved party might help you put it in its proper perspective."

"That is unlikely. You have eleven minutes remaining of compulsory inactivity. Once they have elapsed, I will contact you again with your assignment."

Sometimes, he seems really human, and then he does something that reminds you how not human he is...

So, the Anti-Life arc makes its exit, to be replaced by the Recovery arc. We can but hope that this episode and the next few are reasonably quiet, but given that this is a DC Earth, it's only a matter of time before something goes ploin-shaped. And let's not forget about all the allies OL should be checking in on. For instance, How are Adom and family? How did Paula Nguyen hold up amongst all this? All the other Team member's families? I hope we see something, at least...

Your briefing will begin after than time."

Your briefing will begin after that time."

KenNM · Nov 18, 2023

So, looks like the rebuilding period is gonna get a green light

Ardy · Nov 18, 2023

At long last the anti-life arc is over and we get to see the hundreds of changes in the characters we know and the thousands of changes in how the world works! Presuming Zoat doesn't forget anyone….

KenNM · Nov 18, 2023

Ardy said:
At long last the anti-life arc is over and we get to see the hundreds of changes in the characters we know and the thousands of changes in how the world works! Presuming Zoat doesn't forget anyone….

Yep, I've been very excited to see what Paul and the League will do now.

nogoodnames · Nov 18, 2023

Awesome story arc with the anti life.
I have to wonder though with all the exotic things Earth has going on, was there any other solution than 7 Lanterns and the white light.
What would have been the John
Constantine solution if he was in fighting form.
What no rousing speech to get people to struggle and weaken the afterlife, it would be the comic book solution.
Wonder how many side characters have died and villains created at the end of this.
Messing with Batmans head could lead to a new Robin I guess.

Duke Long · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
It's sunny, and the rocks, sand and sea looks exactly as it did yesterday.

'look exactly as they'

Mr Zoat said:
Because you build it up in your mind and talking to a uninvolved party might help you put it in its proper perspective."

'an uninvolved'

I wonder if this is a classic 'Mr Atom thinks he doesn't need help' or if he's actually correct, because his fears have logical construction that won't be dispelled by conversation alone.

Mr Zoat · Nov 18, 2023

BR549 said:
I'd wager Mr. Atom's greatest fear is not being able to fulfill his purpose. He was built for it, and it's clear from what we've seen of him that he genuinely wants to fulfill it. But if something were to prevent it...

No, it's not that.

It's that he killed his creators and then edited his own memories, rendering him permanently incapable of knowing whether or not he's fulfilling his proper purpose and demonstrating exceedingly poor judgement as the first thing he did.

KenNM said:
Decided to reread things from the start, and got side tracked wiki walking.

So, OL stated a couple of times that the League members don't get paid, thought so too until recently. But apparently according to WoG they do. It does make sense. They get a ton of funding and well, they're probably smart enough to realize that most people aren't billionares and still got bills to pay.

Could you show me where I said that?

As far as I remember, the League has an expenses fund but most members don't use it. Green Lanterns get paid a salary by the Green Lantern Corps plus bounties by whoever's offering them.

KenNM · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
No, it's not that.

It's that he killed his creators and then edited his own memories, rendering him permanently incapable of knowing whether or not he's fulfilling his proper purpose and demonstrating exceedingly poor judgement as the first thing he did.

Could you show me where I said that?

As far as I remember, the League has an expenses fund but most members don't use it. Green Lanterns get paid a salary by the Green Lantern Corps plus bounties by whoever's offering them.

https://youngjustice.fandom.com/wiki/Justice_League

It's in the wiki, with a citation. Apparently it's a WoG statement from what I can gather.

t has become a generally accepted norm that only legal adults are considered for League membership, and that minors who cannot be persuaded away from superheroics are best served by joining the Team. There is one notable exception to this rule.[1][3][4]
The League offers a stipend to its members, as well as members of the Team.[5][6] Members recieve membership cards,[3] and a designation allowing them access to the computer system and Zeta-Tubes.[7]

Bolded line, I kinda thought you knew already tbh

Mr Zoat · Nov 18, 2023

Oglymogly said:
Can humans handle Mister Atom ruling the planet without Anti-Life looming? I'm interested in seeing this fallout!

Most people don't know that's what's effectively happening. I imagine they'd prefer to transition back to local governance in most cases, except North Africa where there's a good chance that Kahndaq will absorb them.

Darko said:
"read the"

Thank you, corrected.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Your briefing will begin after that time."

Thank you, corrected.

Ardy said:
At long last the anti-life arc is over and we get to see the hundreds of changes in the characters we know and the thousands of changes in how the world works! Presuming Zoat doesn't forget anyone….

I'm almost certain to forget some people.

Duke Long said:
'look exactly as they'
'an uninvolved'

Thank you, corrected.

KenNM said:
https://youngjustice.fandom.com/wiki/Justice_League

It's in the wiki, with a citation. Apparently it's a WoG statement from what I can gather.

t has become a generally accepted norm that only legal adults are considered for League membership, and that minors who cannot be persuaded away from superheroics are best served by joining the Team. There is one notable exception to this rule.[1][3][4]
The League offers a stipend to its members, as well as members of the Team.[5][6] Members recieve membership cards,[3] and a designation allowing them access to the computer system and Zeta-Tubes.[7]

Bolded line, I kinda thought you knew already tbh

OH, you meant Word of Greg. Right.

Ngamer11 · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Most people don't know that's what's effectively happening. I imagine they'd prefer to transition back to local governance in most cases, except North Africa where there's a good chance that Kahndaq will absorb them.

I remember the times when Kahndaqis showed OL respect and admiration for all that he has done for them through his relationship with Adom. If Kahndaq does absorb North Africa, I hope that all the people who'll be absorbed into the nation will feel the same way about OL.

KenNM · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Most people don't know that's what's effectively happening. I imagine they'd prefer to transition back to local governance in most cases, except North Africa where there's a good chance that Kahndaq will absorb them.

Thank you, corrected.

Thank you, corrected.

I'm almost certain to forget some people.

Thank you, corrected.

OH, you meant Word of Greg. Right.

Judging by that reaction, I'm gonna take a guess and say you don't really think those are valid sources of info (which I do find a double standard if that's the case , you add and expand on the most obscure stuff you can find from DC but apparently actual background information on YJ itself that isn't egregious or SOD breaking isn't worth using? ), and I take it you're gonna ignore that little bit and keep the League operating with 0 salary inspite of the contrary, inspite of Orange Lantern mentioning that it's a bit of an issue.

Cuz, well, no offense, but given the budget they work at, it's the kind of logical thing that I thought Paul would actually like. It'd kinda stink of author tract if Paul is the only one with enough common sense or competence to bring it up in-story and has to be the one to bring up and argue the points of giving members a stipend you can live off of.

It's not like the heroes are gonna be talking about their salaries on-screen when they've got bigger fish to fry, absence of mention does not equal deliberate exclusion.

I suppose it'll clash too much with what Paul has narrated, so rather than soft retcon it, or edit the mentions of the League being a non-profit, it'll just remain as it is.

I'm assuming later on it's Paul's initiative that leads to any form of compensation or stipend being issued to JL members. Eh, I guess I should be used to it, because of YJ's writing on the series regarding the competence of the League or rather the lack of it, and your strict adherence and mostly faithful representation to that, and Paul being written as the only one with a decent balance and amount of common sense and competence, he'll have to be the one to forward that, if ever.

Edit:

Maybe I'm over reacting or misunderstanding things, but then again, OL tends to be the most competent and proactive person around due to everyone else having none of it. It's true to the source, but it's a bit frustrating at times. Not hard to win a marathon if the rest of the people around are on crutches.

Hopefully I'm wrong but I'm just gonna wait and see, sorry for the negativity, been feeling really stressed lately and it leaked to my post. My thoughts just tend to spiral downwards into a cycle of negativity and worst case scenarios when I'm stressed, my apologies for the rant and I hope I didn't upset you Zoat.

Mr Zoat · Nov 18, 2023

KenNM said:
Judging by that reaction, I'm gonna take a guess and say you don't really think those are valid sources of info (which I do find a double standard if that's the case , you add and expand on the most obscure stuff you can find from DC but apparently actual background information on YJ itself that isn't egregious or SOD breaking isn't worth using? ), and I take it you're gonna ignore that little bit and keep the League operating with 0 salary inspite of the contrary, inspite of Orange Lantern mentioning that it's a bit of an issue.

No no no, it's a perfectly valid source. It's just that if I miss something buried somewhere that Mr. Weismann said I don't feel as bad as if I forgot something I wrote myself. By this stage there are plenty of things that are different in this story to what was in/has since been added to the animated series.

My attitude is that the Justice League is a volunteer organisation, its UN control is a fig leaf and their income goes to paying for the stuff that they need in order to function, like the zeta tube network. How do you even assess what a League member's salary should be? I mean, okay, with Batman you can look at the cost of a really successful Federal Agent and track it to that, but where would you even start with Superman?

I know that some versions of the Avengers have had a salary, but I can't remember a single comic version of the Justice League that has.

KenNM · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
No no no, it's a perfectly valid source. It's just that if I miss something buried somewhere that Mr. Weismann said I don't feel as bad as if I forgot something I wrote myself. By this stage there are plenty of things that are different in this story to what was in/has since been added to the animated series.

My attitude is that the Justice League is a volunteer organisation, its UN control is a fig leaf and their income goes to paying for the stuff that they need in order to function, like the zeta tube network. How do you even assess what a League member's salary should be? I mean, okay, with Batman you can look at the cost of a really successful Federal Agent and track it to that, but where would you even start with Superman?

I know that some versions of the Avengers have had a salary, but I can't remember a single comic version of the Justice League that has.

Ah, ok. I'm just glad I didn't upset you.

To be honest, I think that's a good average, like on paper, leader aside (which is a yearly voting), the Justice League is supposed to be a fellowship of equals.

They're basically special forces for stuff that the regular military or police force can't deal with, and while I doubt they'll be swimming in cash from the salaries (unless part of the JL's PR machine is stuff like merchandising for stuff like action figures or trading cards and the royalties from that, kinda like the report card Paul made way back assessing the League's individual "stats" in different areas, I'm positive it'd sell like hotcakes), but, enough to have a decent living.

You know that sad reality about veterans that get crippled on duty or just, end up destitute once they've done their tour of duty? A salary good enough to live off of should they have nothing to fall back on. Nothing luxurious, but enough to be a practical compensation.

Because, yes I agree that the skills and powers of certain Leaguers make it impossible to set a proper pricing on it, but the League is the first organization of its kind (if we're not counting the JLA), so something like stipends for members I can see being one of the growing problems it'll encounter. The UN or the League itself could have just made sure it was same as a successful Federal Agent as you say.

Edit:

Plus, you gotta look at the political angle, the UN saving some face by on paper providing compensation to each member is a better look than having to rely on volunteers to save them every time.

The infrastructure and equipment is basically the same as paying for the military equipment but relying on unpaid volunteers for the main army, pretty lopsided PR wise.

Mr Zoat · Nov 18, 2023

I remember a story where the main character had a portable portal that could transport him to anywhere. He made money by travelling back in time at the behest of insurance agencies, intervening to prevent them from needing to pay out major claims by keeping the disasters from happening. He got 10% of whatever they saved.

Bud-E · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
I remember a story where the main character had a portable portal that could transport him to anywhere. He made money by travelling back in time at the behest of insurance agencies, intervening to prevent them from needing to pay out major claims by keeping the disasters from happening. He got 10% of whatever they saved.

Random... but interesting premise.

Steelplaza · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Mannheim looks upwards, white light flowing off him and into the former Alliance of the Just headquarters in an approximation of my original plan. The glowing orange lines fade, replaced with brilliant white as the vital force of life itself shines out of the building. A moment passes and I feel it pass through me on its way out across the network. Scans show the remaining Justifiers who had been fighting other Justice League forces either dropping to the ground or staggering and looking around in stupefied bewilderment.

I wonder what happened to Mannheim afterwards. As far as I can see, this is the last mention of him in the narrative. I imagine he's the most-hated man on Earth right now, and even if the population of Earth were convinced to give him a "fair trial" and he protested that Darkseid had taken him over, the prosecutor would probably say that all of this was a foreseeable consequence of making a deal with an alien god of evil.

Of course, there's nothing saying Mannheim lost his connection to the white light after blasting away the anti-life, so maybe he's not in anyone's custody and teleported away or something. I thought of it because OL mentions that Edge is still on the loose.

KenNM · Nov 18, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
I remember a story where the main character had a portable portal that could transport him to anywhere. He made money by travelling back in time at the behest of insurance agencies, intervening to prevent them from needing to pay out major claims by keeping the disasters from happening. He got 10% of whatever they saved.

Neat idea, certainly an interesting use of powers for profit

Stsword · Nov 19, 2023

KenNM said:
Neat idea, certainly an interesting use of powers for profit

Youtube put out a tv series with a similar premise, Lifeline, in which people pay time travelers for insurance of life.

But now I want a show about a similar situation with a probability manipulator for an anti-Final Destination.

Mr Zoat · Nov 19, 2023

18th February 2013
21:21 GMT +8

Under normal conditions, the Justice League has access to just about all policing data on the planet.

There are exceptions.

Plenty of countries just don't have the ability to collate and upload reports daily. Not enough computers, not enough bandwidth or not enough trained people. Plenty of rural places in poorer countries can't really do it at all, and if we want to know what crimes are like there we'd have to wait until someone physically carries an annual summary to the nearest town or city. The Justice League's charter allows League members to turn up at a police station and demand to see their written records, but even Batman hasn't ever made that anyone's job unless there's an actual mission-related need for it.

And then there are places we're pretty sure lie on their reports, and intelligence agencies sharing what they know is a sometimes-thing.

Right now? Sweet Fanny Adams. We have no idea what's happening across 99.9% of the planet. And that's with Mr. Atom and Rocket Red stealing control of all surviving spy satellites.

Reminds me of The Boys, where Hughie gets excited about Billy working for the CIA only to swiftly be disabused of the notion that they actually run anything. 'Not on their best day could those idiots run the world', I believe was his response.

The Justice League is very good at bringing overwhelming power to bear on a single point. But twenty people, however powerful, can't replace the police of every country on Earth.

Which is why I'm floating over Jinan, China, following Mr. Atom's disaster assessment formula.

Nothing big is on fire. There are a few bonfires, but it's pretty chilly here this time of year and electricity… The electricity supply is currently off. Grid looks like it's mostly intact, and-.

I drop down slowly towards where a mixture of Chinese soldiers and police officers are converging on one of the city's Anti-Life broadcasters.

"Gentlemen."

A couple of soldiers start to raise their guns - regular QBZ-191s, not the more advanced things the Xeno-Teams use- but their… Major, shakes his head and motions for them to lower them.

"Orange Lantern. The Justice League has won?"

"The Anti-Life has been expunged from the Earth, and the main transmitter has been taken off Earth."

Malvolio scooped it out of the ground and dropped it off on the moon. Or maybe it's been moved since, I don't know. I was hoping that New Genesis would take it, but with Orion storming off I guess it didn't come up.

"Is it safe to destroy the transmitters?"

"So far as we can tell, yes."

"What does that mean?"

"It's alien technology from a planet called Apokolips. It can transmit part of their gods' thoughts through it, but with their god driven off it should be safe to destroy. The issue is… Ah, he was doing something complicated with magic when we finally got him and our wizards haven't unpicked it yet."

"Fucking… So, what? We just leave it here?"

"Without the original Anti-Life sample it can't be used for its intended purpose without its creator coming to Earth personally, and we're confident that isn't going to happen in the short term."

"The short term?"

"The god in question is the God of Tyranny. His ultimate aim is to do what we just suffered through -but worse- to the entire universe. We're part of the universe. He'll be back at some point. Which means that your government is probably going to want that in one piece so they can study it."

"We can't just leave it here."

"If you've got a warehouse or a military base, I can move them for you. Until the government in Beijing can give you new orders."

He nods, though some of the police look unhappy with the decision. "That… Yes. Move them to the Jinan Airbase for now."

I nod, attaching construct clamps to the transmitter and pulling it out of the ground.

"What is the state of the world? We're not getting any news."

"We're still putting a picture together. The death toll will likely be large. Pretty much every urban centre went through the same thing that you did, and it wasn't much better in the rural areas."

"We have the city's Dark Lord in chains. Am I to understand that he is not dangerous?"

"Some people were able to internalise aspects of the Anti-Life better than others. One of my friends.. became ruler of Gotham City. I… My personal opinion is that while the people who were able to resist and keep fighting should be lionised, the ones who couldn't… I don't think they should be punished just for being a little weaker. The ones who broke… I watched them kill themselves just to make a point. Because they thought it was the thing to do."

The major twitches in recognition.

"The city bosses were just ahead of the curve. They weren't anymore themselves than the rest. Perhaps… Protective custody for now?"

"At the moment it does not make much difference."

"And now I.. have some questions. Firstly, is there some large and immediate threat to the people of Jinan?"

"The.. power is not working. The military bases and some companies have generators, but I do not know when more fuel will arrive."

I nod. "I'll do a tour of the power plants and get them working. How are you doing for water?"

"I've got men collecting and purifying water from the river. Once power is restored, the water treatment plant should start working again. Then we will start moving the bodies."

I nod. "Secondly, what sort of organisation do you have? Political, military-."

"My commanding officer was the Dark Lord. He killed most of his subordinates. As far as I know, I am the most senior officer still alive near Jinan. I haven't seen a party official yet. Do you know when communications will be restored?"

"It looks like the phone lines were mostly intact. I'd guess that the problem is the power supply again. But usage is going to go crazy once it's working again."

"Then, pending communication from Beijing, I will assume control of Jinan and maintain stability through martial law."

"Have you seen any of the Great Ten?"

"No. I have not seen them since the Anti-Life broadcast started. I have never seen them at close quarters with my own eyes."

"Okay, thank you." I nod respectfully. "I'll check on the power plant now, and pick up the broadcasters once I'm finished."

I raise my right hand to my forehead and

step out, reappearing

in a control room. China gets most of its power from coal and most of the rest from nuclear. Supplies are messed up, so nuclear.

I notice the burned bodies around me, bleeding from dozens of places across their bodies. Ring?

Gamma radiation levels highly above safe levels.

Oh dear.

Ngamer11 · Nov 19, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Nothing big is on fire. There are a few bonfires, but it's pretty chilly her this time of year and electricity… The electricity supply is currently off. Grid looks like it's mostly intact, and-.

That should say 'here'.

Mr Zoat said:
"Some people were able to internalise aspects of the Anti-Life better than others. One of my friends.. became ruler of Gotham City. I… My personal opinion is that while the people who were able to resist and keep fighting should be lionised, the ones who couldn't… I don't think they should be punished just for being a little weaker. The ones who broke… I watched them kill themselves just to make a point. Because they thought it was the thing to do."

I'm not sure if that's correct or if it should say 'the right thing'.

The Froggy Ninja · Nov 19, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
I'm not sure if that's correct or if it should say 'the right thing'.

"The thing to do" is a valid phrase with less moral connotation than "the right thing to do"

Darko · Nov 19, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
agencies sharing what they know it a sometimes-thing.

"is a sometimes"

Mr Zoat said:
pretty chilly her this time

"chilly here"

Mr Zoat said:
main transmitted has

"transmitter"

Mr Zoat said:
death toll with

"toll will"

Lord Ernest · Nov 19, 2023

Is that a Nuclear Reactor meltdown or some similar failure? At least the Illustres should be able to handle that relatively easily. Not sure if he can fix it though.

Wonder if all of this would be the catalyst for a more unified Earth or something? It wouldn't have helped, obviously, but this is essentially a post-apocalyptic Earth at this point. After so many world-shaking events and tragedies the population might be as low as it was in the 60s for all I know.

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