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

Johnjohn2195 · Saturday at 8:41 AM

Here's hopping he doesn't ever bite his tongue.

Chojin Patriarch · Saturday at 9:15 AM

Mr Zoat said:
Codominion

12th April 2013
08:33 GMT -5:00

"…wings like the lady outside?"

I shake my head as I remodel my latest patient's immune system. He had H.I.V., and without access to antiretroviral therapy drugs it was only a matter of time until things start getting really serious.

And the new episode begins slow, with more of OL's unofficial human repair clinic. I can't imagine many people who needed critical medical supplies and didn't have a large supply set in made it through the crisis, did they... A grim start.

"I'm sorry, but she was born with those." Though-. "I can't do that type of wings without access to a type of rare magical metal, and the only person on Earth I know who can do it with lab-grown wings… The only woman he gave wings to needed to give up an arm so that he'd have somewhere to plug the nerves into her brain."

Unless he was a baby, with a brain whose neuro-plasticity hadn't set yet. The human brain isn't really wired to deal with extra parts.

Ms. Parish wasn't one of the ones whose implants were 'reclaimed' by the Un-Titan, though she'd clearly not forgotten my part in that debacle last time we spoke. Cranius is a lot more sanguine about Uncorps' recent losses; most third generation Un-Men are such psychological basket cases anyway that the Anti-Life barely slowed them down. And the first and second generation have suffered so much already that it was basically just 'business as usual'.

A stark reminder of just how different the Paragon and Renegade timelines are at this stage. We know the Renegade really got on with the Un-Men, after all. Remember, Cranius is one of his New Light members.

"I'll… Keep my arms." He glances at my assistant. "And what's with her?"

**I wait for you to bleed.**

So... Best not to ask for anything that requires it, then. Also, hello new character?

I close my eyes for a moment as the as yet unnamed G-Magtatangal next to me tilts 'her' head to the side, almost offended that there's nothing for her to do. G-Magtatangal are Dubbilex's latest attempt to be helpful; a genomorph type that can perform chirurgery. Unfortunately their specialised nature means that they're… Not good conversationalists, and since the genomorphs are producing as many of them as they can there aren't enough G-Pooka to go around.

Interesting reference. The only thing I could find was a Phillipino demon, where this name is mentioned as their progenitor or historical inspiration or something.

"She's best at handing physical injuries."

My patient looks a little nervous. "Is she an alien?"

And just how attractive is 'she'? Enough that he promptly decided 'alien babe'?

"She was grown on Earth. Her DNA originally came from krypton, then got modified a lot."

My patient's eyes widen. "She's kryptonian?"

"One of her ancestors was the kryptonian version of a rhinoceros."

Don't get excited. Just because she's technically an alien doesn't mean she's interested in 'this Human thing called Love'.

He looks at her, his mouth slightly open. G-Magtatangals have downwards curving horns for a better telekinetic sense and can secrete biological anaesthetic, antiseptic and glue for sealing injuries from their disturbingly claw-like claws. Those can be used as chirurgical scalpels, syringes or just for grasping and pulling. Despite the fact that he referred to her in the feminine there's nothing obviously female about her physique, though her mental voice has a definite feminine sound to it.

Some guys can get turned on by anything.

"Huh."

"So, if there's nothing else..?"

Because OL's desire to help this guy will only hold out for so long, after all.

"Can you do, like..? Super teeth?" He shrugs. "I get medicine's more important, but dentists aren't easy to get hold of either."

He's got a point, but…

Fixing teeth feels a little demeaning, doesn't it? Especially compared to your last couple of days.

"Teeth are a living part of your body. I could add some sort of super-tough coating, but anything else would involve fiddling with your body in ways I haven't studied."

"Sounds good." He opens his mouth slightly, as if I need direct access.

Still, anything would be good. Dental care is expensive, after all.

"Would you like to pick a colour?"

"Ah… I'll stick with white,-"

To be fair, most any other colour reads as unhealthy to people these days. Other than gold, at which point you look more like a blinged out gangsta-wannabe.

"Done."

"-thanks..?" He closes his mouth and runs his tongue around his teeth. "Feels..? A little bit different. So..?"

I expect there's a subtle difference in texture. A healthy tooth feels different to a dirty one, much less a cracked or broken one.

"I evened up their placement and structure, fixed the pre-existing damage, shrank them a little and added a layer of white everything-resistant armour over the top of the enamel layer. You'll still need to either brush or avoid sugar completely to maintain good gum health because if your gums recede then the lower unimproved parts of your teeth will get exposed."

So that would also cause a slight shift in the structure of his lower face too. It's surprising how much just our teeth do for our cheek and lip areas.

He nods. "Sure, sure."

"Also -and this should go without saying- but they're still teeth. Don't try and bit through anything you wouldn't normally try and bit through, especially live electronics."

So no trying to copy, say, Jaws?

"I-. Okay, I wasn't gunna. But..? What would happen?"

"The top part of the tooth won't crack anymore, but the lower part can and will and then you'll be in a lot of pain and need to get the tooth removed. Same issue with electricity, only then rather than your teeth exploding your skull will melt. I mean, it's a serious injury either way, I just don't want you to think that you're Matter-Eater Lad or anything?"

After all, the teeth may be tougher, but the jaws are not.

"Ye-." He frowns. "Who?"

"Superhero from the future whose power is that he can eat anything without injuring himself. He can bite through a kryptonian's skin like it's made of marshmallow, and swallow molten iron without incident."

And that's low-balling his people's powers. He can just take it to extremes, including eating a New God super-machine.

"…" He blinks. "That's messed up."

I nod. "Some powers can be pretty situational. Anything else?"

Honestly, Tenzil's lucky he didn't get shunted into the Substitutes division.

"No, I'm good." He offers me his right hand. "Thanks."

I shake it with a smile. "You're welcome. Ah, and while you can't contract H.I.V. again-."

Other sexual diseases are still fair game, so don't go trying to collect them all?

"I'm not immune to anything else. I haven't forgotten." He nods and heads out of the door.

An interesting idea, that. My teeth are peak human, rather than anything particularly exotic. I've bitten the interior of my mouth far too often to want x-ionised teeth or anything like that. Lamprey had runes etched into his teeth, but I don't think-.

On the other hand, they get fixed up anytime you restore yourself, so protecting them isn't exactly a priority.

Karon knocks, then opens the door and sticks her head around it. "Are you ready for another patient?"

"Yes, bring them-"

Hopefully most people get that making themselves troublesome to him actually reduces his effectiveness. Although some might still try to get a look in just to say they got doctored by 'The Cake Man'.

She pushes the door open and-

"Hmpf!"

"-in."

Seems the next patient isn't about to wait. Hopefully not trouble...

Cranius walks in, or rather Otto does with Cranius perched on his shoulders. Cranius glowers at me, though his face softens for a moment when he take in the G-Magtatangal.

I stand back up. "Doctor von Schadel. What brings you here?"

How ironic, he was just thinking about you. And I see he can appreciate the DNAliens' unique flair.

"Zo I understand zhet you are modifying people. Is zhis true?"

"In a few minor ways, yes."

Ah, a second chance to form some connections for advanced bio-modification?

"I do not belief zhet is legal."

"Yeah, but the government is barely functional so they're not in any position to stop me. It's… The only good thing about being a failed state." I shrug. "And what are they going to do, demand that people gouge their eyes out?"

Forgiveness is easier than permission and all that. Besides, I suspect OL has opinions about American medicine anyway.

"Unt your..? Colleagues?"

"They've got better things to do than stop someone consensually healing people. The world would have to be a very different place for the Justice League to spend time enforcing FDA regulations… At least, where there wasn't some substantial harm being inflicted. How did you even get here?"

Certainly, some of them might even approve of his somewhat cowboy approach to it. Green Arrow, for instance, with his humanitarian nature.

"I am heffing difficulty contacting our government overseers in zhe Department of Energy, and thought zhat a personal appearance may work. But now… I em wondering whezher or not I want to."

"Well… Tell me what you've got planned."

Nice. Yeah, getting out from under their thumb might well open the Un-Men up to some definite improvements.

Well, a quiet start to the episode. And no hint as to any possible plotline other than Cranius' appearance. Maybe we'll see OL forge better ties with the Un-Men than his first attempt to work with them did. And while it was the Renegade timeline where Ah'riahn had beef with the Un-Men, I can't help feel he might show up...

Never know...

Darko · Saturday at 10:37 AM

Chojin Patriarch said:
Some guys can get turned on by anything

Unfortunately I'm using my phone so I don't know how to post a link to something, but I recommend you watch the American Dad song about kinks.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Certainly, some of them might even approve of his somewhat cowboy approach to it. Green Arrow, for instance, with his humanitarian nature.

Not necessarily.

Remember that they've probably seen a lot of untested and unapproved things result in monster attacks.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Well, a quiet start to the episode. And no hint as to any possible plotline other than Cranius' appearance. Maybe we'll see OL forge better ties with the Un-Men than his first attempt to work with them did

The title makes me think that maybe it'll focus on the various Earth governments and the League trying to work together.

Or maybe it'll ficus on the Green, since I think Zoat mentioned that we'll be seeing what happened to Swamp Thing.

Chojin Patriarch said:
And while it was the Renegade timeline where Ah'riahn had beef with the Un-Men, I can't help feel he might show up... Never know...

I'm thinking that maybe he had something to do with the barrier over Atlantis.

Ngamer11 · Saturday at 11:47 AM

Darko said:
The title makes me think that maybe it'll focus on the various Earth governments and the League trying to work together.

Or maybe it'll ficus on the Green, since I think Zoat mentioned that we'll be seeing what happened to Swamp Thing.

I'd be happy if we'll get to see a JL meeting where they talk about the fact that they've basically taken over the planet. As for Swamp Thing, I'd be interested in seeing how he'll react to Euanthe basically usurping control of the Green from the Parliament of Trees.

Senevri · Saturday at 6:13 PM

Earlier I wondered how badly did Twilight do for Gen 5 to go as it did. Apparently, kinda stupidly.

Sockmonkey · Saturday at 9:08 PM

Introducing Cranius to the G-gnomes would work out very well. They would fit in just fine in Abberance and they have skills in bio-modification. Plus being telepathic would let Cranius instruct them perfectly.

moralrelativity · Sunday at 4:48 AM

Mr Zoat said:
moment when he take in the G-Magtatangal.

take -> takes

Mr Zoat · Sunday at 7:38 AM

moralrelativity said:
take -> takes

Thank you, corrected.

Mr Zoat · Sunday at 7:39 AM

3rd December 2282
09:02 GMT

Well. At least Pevensey Castle is still there.

If anything, I think that the walls had been built up a little. And the thing is… I'm not sure why. I don't have records on how the Resource Wars played out in Europe, because most of my sources are American and at that point they'd stopped bothering with Europe and the Middle East both and were only really worrying about their internal affairs and the threat from China. Britain and its neighbours had nuclear weapons, but in my original timeline they never built anything like as many as the United States and by the time I was born Britain had scrapped everything apart from Trident.

So who was fighting? When? Why? The North Sea oil fields would have been worth fighting over, for a while at least. I'm not sure exactly where they are -or perhaps were- but I suppose that would be a source of conflict. But landing troops on the mainland wouldn't get you access to them: they're off shore by definition. Britain's got coal, but so do Germany and France, and their mines would be more accessible for everyone on mainland Europe. Britain's geography means that we've got a little of almost everything… But not a lot of anything very much. Certainly I can't think of anything natural resource wise that would be worth landing troops and supporting an occupation army over.

Looking down on Britain from above, I can't see that many nuclear impacts. A few, yes, but quite a lot of infrastructure is still in one piece, even in the major cities. London is nothing like as damaged as Washington, even if the saucer's sensors are picking up elevated levels of radiation in a few places. Small bombs, perhaps? I'm a bit disappointed that despite the lack of an ideological conflict European nations used the same salted nukes as America and China, but maybe that was just the standard design in this timeline?

Major roadways are still in use, with none of the abandoned cars that characterise American motorways. No nuclear batteries replacing petrol here. There are a few abandoned… Steam lorries? Huge things, presumably designed for the efficient transportation of goods and people. A few of them are still in use, and I can see convoys billowing plumes of smoke in several places. Horse drawn vehicles are more common, which makes sense given the shorter supply lines required in a broken nation. Trains… Aren't running outside of the cities, though the fact that they're running anywhere at all is fairly impressive. Looks like they're all electrical.

Where to start? Somewhere isolated would be best, and… Without anti-air weapons and radar. I could try talking to the government in Westminster, or… I'm tempted to drop in on someone closer to-.

Closer to home, I was going to think.

Oh, I'm going to-. Rattle Road didn't get that name as a mere reference to history, the house I grew up in is far older than whatever caused the nuclear war. I direct the saucer to fly lower, mentally kicking myself even as I try to identify any landmarks that I might recognise, knowing that it's a foolish thing to do but needing to anyway.

I went to school there.

Reception class, with Missus Sykes. The rest of the school is… Different. The portacabins that served as the majority of.. the…

I can still see where the school pool used to be.

The pool itself has long since decayed to nothing, but the brick changing rooms and the paving stones covering the area close to what is still the main road…

The portacabins are gone, but the older brick-built parts of the school are still there. St. Mary's church still stands, two hundred years and a nuclear war nothing to a building that had already stood for nine hundred years.

I, ah…

I…

No. My parents might have been alive before things started diverging from the history I remember, but it wouldn't take… It wouldn't take much for them to just not meet. And there's basically no chance that any descendants live in this area. Even if they do, I doubt that they'll have the genealogical records for the last three hundred years that would prove how closely related we are.

But… But it doesn't hurt to knock.

Huh. Looks like they never built that weird roundabout in this timeline. The house… Some of the windows have had their glass replaced by smaller panes held together with lead cames. Easier to manufacture than larger panels, and cheaper as a result.

Leave the ship in stealth, or have it float openly?

I think… Stealth, for now. Openly displaying it is something I can leave for when I need to establish my affidavits. I fly it over to the strangely round cul-de-sac close to-. Close by the house, and clamber out of the saucer. I suppose… Given that the EU invaded the Middle East in 2052, I shouldn't be surprised if I started recognising more things. Honestly, I should be more surprised that Britain was still in the EU in 2052. Is that where the conflict came from? Other European nations blaming our lack of support for their defeat? It was the Middle East. What did you expect to happen?

I jump down and start walking. Down the slope, noting that the metal railing has been replaced by wood and that the brickwork has been repaired. Down the road, noting that there aren't any people around. I hadn't really given much thought to what the area's original industry was. I imagine that manpower-intense farming has made a comeback, since there's no real way to power tractors. Unless they break out the traction engines, which can be powered by coal. Except, where would they get coal around here?

No traffic, and the driveway is empty.

I walk up to the door, and-. No bell, but-. That's the exact same door knocker. I reach up, tap it against the baseplate twice and then stand back to wait.

I feel the minds inside. Three children and a woman, probably their mother. She's not worried about someone knocking, but-. Ah. That's a little more of that post-apocalyptic mindset. She's picking up a gun before walking to the door, and sliding a chain into the door before opening.

I smile as a blonde woman in her middle years looks at me in the crack between door and frame. "Good morning!" The harder lifestyles and lack of makeup result in people looking older so I find my guesses about how old people are thrown off a bit.

She sighs very quietly, and relaxes her guard a little. "Are you with the Brethren? Because I'm not interested. I wasn't last month and I'm not now."

"Ah, no? I don't actually know who they are."

"How do you not know who the Brethren are?"

"I've been in Nevada for the past few years. This is the first time I've been back…" I shrug. "For a while."

"Where's that?"

"Ah, America. On the West Coast."

"America-?" She blinks in surprise. "Oh, are you a sailor?"

"Pilot." Because the word 'pilot' can also refer to someone who navigates complicated waterways, and because I didn't detect a single flying machine when I over flew the country. Nice that she knew the word, when I've had to explain to even educated people in the United States what 'Britain' is. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I've got no idea what's been happening in Britain lately, and… Ah, well, my family came from this part of the country. I don't know if any still… Live in the area, but if they do then I'd like to trace them. I'm not sure.. where I should go for that…"

"Church records would have lists of Christenings, marriages and deaths. What's your name?"

"Ah, well…" I reach into my robes and pull out a copy of my family tree I prepared in case I wanted to tell someone my actual name, since business cards haven't made a comeback after the apocalypse. "I'd like to track any of those names, but my dad's family came from Ipswich and my mum's family came from Gloucestershire."

She looks at the sheet, frowning. Getting my real name on there took me cutting up newspapers for the letter and then hypnotising myself so that I wouldn't realise why I was assembling them in that order, then asking someone else to transcribe it. I'll be nice to have a country that doesn't know me as a living comic character.

"No, I don't recognise any of these names." She hands the paper back. "I'm.. sorry about that. What made you come looking for them?"

"I'm getting married, and I don't… I'm not in contact with any of my relatives, so my side of the church is going to be a bit empty. Obviously, they wouldn't be able to make the trip to Nevada, but I thought I could bring my wife here to visit when my.. schedule allows it." I shrug disarmingly. Oh well. It was a long shot. "Um. Look, I realise this is an inconvenience, but as I said, I've been out of the country for a while, and I've got no idea what's been happening. I can… Pay for information?"

She frowns. "I'm a dress-maker, not a newsagent."

"Sure, but right now I don't know anything. You know local news?" She nods cautiously. "Then you know more than me."

"Hm." She looks me over. "Are you armed?"

"Oh yes." I tug at my robe so that my plasma pistol is showing. "Two shots, then I reduce myself to penury getting a new fuel cell. Ah." I remove it from my belt and offer it to her, grip first.

She carefully takes it and looks it over, clearly not understanding what she's seeing. "I'm going to call a neighbour over, but… Alright. I could do with having someone new to moan to about those Brethren nutters, as well as his bloody nibs the Lord of Brighton."

I smile warmly, and give her a mental nudge which will make her think that she's making the right decision. "Thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Sarah Williams. Missus Sarah Williams."

moralrelativity · Sunday at 7:55 AM

Mr Zoat said:
Looks like they're all electrical.

"electric" maybe better? common usage where I'm from is "electic train", not "electrical train"

Mr Zoat said:
"Thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't watch

watch -> catch

Lazurman · Sunday at 7:57 AM

This chapter was a surprisingly feelsy one. I quite liked it.

Chojin Patriarch · Sunday at 8:31 AM

Mr Zoat said:
3rd December 2282
09:02 GMT

Well. At least Pevensey Castle is still there.

Ah, Krono arrives in England. And it looks like he's started with his old home town, or at least the local area. It'll be interesting to see an alternate universe where it actually existed, but he didn't. That'd be a trip.

If anything, I think that the walls had been built up a little. And the thing is… I'm not sure why. I don't have records on how the Resource Wars played out in Europe, because most of my sources are American and at that point they'd stopped bothering with Europe and the Middle East both and were only really worrying about their internal affairs and the threat from China. Britain and its neighbours had nuclear weapons, but in my original timeline they never built anything like as many as the United States and by the time I was born Britain had scrapped everything apart from Trident.

Well, old fortifications like castles would have seen more recent use, given the nature of the post-war era. People want safe forts. And if the old ones are still there, just in need of a little stonework, well...

So who was fighting? When? Why? The North Sea oil fields would have been worth fighting over, for a while at least. I'm not sure exactly where they are -or perhaps were- but I suppose that would be a source of conflict. But landing troops on the mainland wouldn't get you access to them: they're off shore by definition. Britain's got coal, but so do Germany and France, and their mines would be more accessible for everyone on mainland Europe. Britain's geography means that we've got a little of almost everything… But not a lot of anything very much. Certainly I can't think of anything natural resource wise that would be worth landing troops and supporting an occupation army over.

And of course, those natural borders that protected the country from invasion for so long also keep it from being affected by post-war matters. Anything in Europe wouldn't be likely to cross the Channel except in the greatest desperation or belligerence.

Looking down on Britain from above, I can't see that many nuclear impacts. A few, yes, but quite a lot of infrastructure is still in one piece, even in the major cities. London is nothing like as damaged as Washington, even if the saucer's sensors are picking up elevated levels of radiation in a few places. Small bombs, perhaps? I'm a bit disappointed that despite the lack of an ideological conflict European nations used the same salted nukes as America and China, but maybe that was just the standard design in this timeline?

So there's a good chance there's an actual government still in place. Just not set up in central London.

Major roadways are still in use, with none of the abandoned cars that characterise American motorways. No nuclear batteries replacing petrol here. There are a few abandoned… Steam lorries? Huge things, presumably designed for the efficient transportation of goods and people. A few of the are still in use, and I can see convoys billowing plumes of smoke in several places. Horse drawn vehicles are more common, which makes sense given the shorter supply lines required in a broken nation. Trains… Aren't running outside of the cities, though the fact that they're running anywhere at all is fairly impressive. Looks like they're all electrical.

Presumably back to burning coal rather than fuel oil. And maybe reactors for the cities.

Where to start? Somewhere isolated would be best, and… Without anti-air weapons and radar. I could try talking to the government in Westminster, or… I'm tempted to drop in on someone closer to-.

Closer to home, I was going to think.

Though there'd probably be the matter of whether any government has a presence that far out.

Oh, I'm going to-. Rattle Road didn't get that name as a mere reference to history, the house I grew up in is far older than whatever caused the nuclear war. I direct the saucer to fly lower, mentally kicking myself even as I try to identify any landmarks that I might recognise, knowing that it's a foolish thing to do but needing to anyway.

It's human nature to seek familiar things, even in the most unfamiliar of circumstances.

I went to school there.

Reception class, with Missus Sykes. The rest of the school is… Different. The portacabins that served as the majority of.. the…

More than likely replaced by proper buildings. Which might have gotten knocked down during the war, and left abandoned.

I can still see where the school pool used to be.

The pool itself has long since decayed to nothing, but the brick changing rooms and the paving stones covering the area closed to what is still the main road…

To be fair, a big hole tends to find itself filled, especially when water is involved.

The portacabins are gone, but the older brick-built parts of the school are still there. St. Mary's church still stands, two hundred years and a nuclear war nothing to a building that had already stood for nine hundred years.

I, ah…

I…

Don't think about the graveyards. Just take satisfaction in the old, familiar things.

No. My parents might have been alive before things started diverging from the history I remember, but it wouldn't take… It wouldn't take much for them to just not meet. And there's basically no chance that any descendants live in this area. Even if they do, I doubt that they'll have the genealogical records for the last three hundred years that would prove how closely related we are.

Though I would hope the saucer has at least some scientific equipment like DNA scanners.

But… But it doesn't hurt to knock.

Huh. Looks like they never built that weird roundabout in this timeline. The house… Some of the windows have had their glass replaced by smaller panes held together with lead cames. Easier to manufacture than larger panels, and cheaper as a result.

Leave the ship in stealth, or have it float openly?

Best to approach as a lone wanderer, rather than a mysterious spaceman come travelling.

I think… Stealth, for now. Openly displaying it is something I can leave for when I need to establish my affidavits. I fly it over to the strangely round cul-de-sac close to-. Close by the house, and clamber out of the saucer. I suppose… Given that the EU invaded the Middle East in 2052, I shouldn't be surprised if I started recognising more things. Honestly, I should be more surprised that Britain was still in the EU in 2052. Is that where the conflict came from? Other European nations blaming our lack of support for their defeat? It was the Middle East. What did you expect to happen?

I'd hope that the British learned their lesson about poking around in the middle east, given the trouble after World War I.

I jump down and start walking. Down the slope, noting that the metal railing has been replaced by wood and that the brickwork has been repaired. Down the road, noting that there aren't any people around. I hadn't really given much thought to what the area's original industry was. I imagine that manpower-intense farming has made a comeback, since there's no real way to power tractors. Unless they break out the traction engines, which can be powered by coal. Except, where would they get coal around here?

I doubt conversion to any other fuel would be easy, even with pre-war science. Manure isn't the best of fuels, not without a lot of processing...

No traffic, and the driveway is empty.

I walk up to the door, and-. No bell, but-. That's the exact same door knocker. I reach up, tap it against the baseplate twice and then stand back to wait.

Oh, that's got to be doing things to his feelings.

I feel the minds inside. Three children and a woman, probably their mother. She's not worried about someone knocking, but-. Ah. That's a little more of that post-apocalyptic mindset. She's picking up a gun before walking to the door, and sliding a chain into the door before opening.

Eminently sensible lady.

I smile as a blonde woman in her middle years looks at me in the crack between door and frame. "Good morning!" The harder lifestyles and lack of makeup result in people looking older so I find my guesses about how old people are thrown off a bit.

She sighs very quietly, and relaxes her guard a little. "Are you with the Brethren? Because I'm not interested. I wasn't last month and I'm not now."

Especially when 'middle years' become a lot younger as lifespans got shorter. I would hazard thirties rather than fifties.

"Ah, no? I don't actually know who they are."

"How do you not know who the Brethren are?"

I'm guessing travel is discouraged by them. Easier to control a population when it doesn't venture far from home.

"I've been in Nevada for the past few years. This is the first time I've been back…" I shrug. "For a while."

"Where's that?"

Right... Global geography isn't exactly a common subject in school. Assuming they have any kind of schooling around here.

"Ah, America. On the West Coast."

"America-?" She blinks in surprise. "Oh, are you a sailor?"

Okay, enough schooling to know the larger nations, at least. And understand that's a long way away.

"Pilot." Because the word 'pilot' can also refer to someone who navigates complicated waterways, and because I didn't detect a single flying machine when I over flew the country. Nice that she knew the word, when I've had to explain to even educated people in the United States what 'Britain' is. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I've got no idea what's been happening in Britain lately, and… Ah, well, my family came from this part of the country. I don't know if any still… Live in the area, but if they do then I'd like to trace them. I'm not sure.. where I should go for that…"

Let's not mention that you once lived in this house. Another world, another lifetime, sure, but she might find it a bit beyond the pale.

"Church records would have lists of Christenings, marriages and deaths. What's your name?"

"Ah, well…" I reach into my robes and pull out a copy of my family tree I prepared in case I wanted to tell someone my actual name, since business cards haven't made a comeback after the apocalypse. "I'd like to track any of those names, but my dad's family came from Ipswich and my mum's family came from Gloucestershire."

Even if he doesn't find actual relatives, or their counterparts of this Earth... Perhaps he can find a family of sorts.

She looks at the sheet, frowning. Getting my real name on there took me cutting up newspapers for the letter and then hypnotising myself so that I wouldn't realise why I was assembling them in that order, then asking someone else to transcribe it. I'll be nice to have a country that doesn't know me as a living comic character.

Impressive bit of self-manipulation to get around the now-classic mental block.

"No, I don't recognise any of these names." She hands the paper back. "I'm.. sorry about that. What made you come looking for them?"

Good that she could actually read them. Shows some measure of education is in place. Even if it's old books or bibles or something.

"I'm getting married, and I don't… I'm not in contact with any of my relatives, so my side of the church is going to be a bit empty. Obviously, they wouldn't be able to make the trip to Nevada, but I thought I could bring my wife here to visit when my.. schedule allows it." I shrug disarmingly. Oh well. It was a long shot. "Um. Look, I realise this is an inconvenience, but as I said, I've been out of the country for a while, and I've got no idea what's been happening. I can… Pay for information?"

And it helps to begin laying the foundations for international relations now, even if it might be decades before anyone can build on them.

She frowns. "I'm a dress-maker, not a newsagent."

"Sure, but right now I don't know anything. You know local news?" She nods cautiously. "Then you know more than me."

Though I doubt news like who's shagging who or minor arguments over a fence is going to be much use. Best to stick to bigger deals.

"Hm." She looks me over. "Are you armed?"

"Oh yes." I tug at my robe so that my plasma pistol is showing. "Two shots, then I reduce myself to penury getting a new fuel cell. Ah." I remove it from my belt and offer it to her, grip first.

Be a foolish man to go without some manner of defence in these days, after all.

She carefully takes it and looks it over, clearly not understanding what she's seeing. "I'm going to call a neighbour over, but… Alright. I could do with having someone new to moan to about those Brethren nutters, as well as his bloody nibs the Lord of Brighton."

I smile warmly, and give her a mental nudge which will make her think that she's making the right decision. "Thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't watch your name."

"Sarah Williams. Missus Sarah Williams."

Well, two new bits of information and he hasn't even offered a single cap yet. Already ahead!

Safe bet England has settled into something of a feudal arrangement out in the wilds like this. Wonder if there's old cults of Proper Gentlemen, or classical upper-class twits running around playing fox hunts with mutants as the foxes... From what I gather, there's next to literal nothing in game canon about it, so Mr Zoat is going to be able to work out a sensible arrangement here.

A few of the are still in use...

A few of them are still in use...

...the area closed to what is still the main road…

...the area close to what is still the main road…

NightmareWarden · Sunday at 8:43 AM

Are dogs special in this universe? Government experiments, assuming dog meat wasn't a one-off?

I'm asking if there could be dogs trained or bred to detect alien scents around. Because the saucer would count.

Vaermina · Sunday at 8:45 AM

Chojin Patriarch said:
I doubt conversion to any other fuel would be easy, even with pre-war science. Manure isn't the best of fuels, not without a lot of processing...

It would have been impossible.

Worldwide EMP knocked out anything that wasnt shielded for something like 2 years straight after the Great War.

Mr Zoat · Sunday at 8:51 AM

moralrelativity said:
"electric" maybe better? common usage where I'm from is "electic train", not "electrical train"

No, that's as intended.

watch -> catch

Chojin Patriarch said:
A few of them are still in use...
...the area close to what is still the main road…

Thank you, corrected.

To be fair, a big hole tends to find itself filled, especially when water is involved.

Hole? What hole? Bloody thing was built up off the ground. We had to climb steps to get in.

Lord Ernest · Sunday at 9:24 AM

Any time a Paul has a moment remembering his original home it feels so bittersweet, I feel for him. It also makes me nostalgic for places in my childhood that I don't or can't visit anymore.

Mr Zoat said:
Hole? What hole? Bloody thing was built up off the ground. We had to climb steps to get in.

What? Who the hell had that brilliant idea?

ohA · Sunday at 9:33 AM

Vaermina said:
It would have been impossible.

Worldwide EMP knocked out anything that wasnt shielded for something like 2 years straight after the Great War.

Now I'm thinking of the woodgas converted cars during wwii. definitely no electronics necessary

Khettien · Sunday at 10:38 AM

Chojin Patriarch said:
Anything in Europe wouldn't be likely to cross the Channel except in the greatest desperation or belligerence.

I'm afraid that's not as much of a barrier as you probably think. The Channel has literally been sailed in a bathtub before. (https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/tim-fitzhigham/english-channel-bathtub_b_17908212.html)

Admittedly, the crazy nutter probably waited until the weather was calm and clear, and it'd definitely be a bump in the road for logistics purposes, but it's doable.

Mr Zoat · Sunday at 11:08 AM

Lord Ernest said:
What? Who the hell had that brilliant idea?

I don't know.

JeckJack · Sunday at 12:16 PM

I remember reading somewhere that horses went extinct in the Fallout universe, but then maybe the creators only meant in America? It's rare that the series touches down anywhere else, so maybe there are still horses in Europe.

Mr Zoat · Sunday at 12:40 PM

JeckJack said:
I remember reading somewhere that horses went extinct in the Fallout universe, but then maybe the creators only meant in America? It's rare that the series touches down anywhere else, so maybe there are still horses in Europe.

Good news! In Old World Blues, Diana kept a herd and shared them with three other nations, and one of the Native American groups in the north still has them.

m_d · Sunday at 1:03 PM

Mr Zoat said:
Sarah Williams

Notwithstanding the fact that neither name is particularly unusual, I will now be keeping an eye out for Labyrinth references in this timeline.

Mr Zoat · Sunday at 1:26 PM

m_d said:
Notwithstanding the fact that neither name is particularly unusual, I will now be keeping an eye out for Labyrinth references in this timeline.

'Williams' is my sister's married name.

rdfox · Sunday at 3:53 PM

Note that the big advantage of steam power is that it can run on literally any heat source. Coal, oil, uranium decay, wood, peat, old tires, even a simple electrical heating element powered by railway catenary--they've all been done before. Wood is a very renewable resource and it wouldn't take too long to start farming pine trees as fuel for steam engines, both for large road vehicles (freight and passenger--no reason you couldn't have a steam bus, too) and for farm equipment. As for conversion issues? If you're switching between solid combustible fuels, there's really no conversion necessary--you toss wood onto the grate just like you do coal, you light it on fire just like you do coal, and then you keep it stoked just like you do coal. Indeed, many of the early steam railway engines were wood-fired, because they hadn't yet cracked how to get a good enough draft to burn coal, and when they tried to feed them coke, that burned so enthusiastically that it simply melted the grate. You don't get quite the same heat content burning wood as you do burning coal, so you won't get quite as much power out of the same engine, but it'll still do the job well enough. Honestly, the hardest part would be rebuilding the infrastructure to build such steam-powered vehicles in the first place, as there certainly won't be enough preserved ones out there to go around.

You might not want to rely on steam-powered ships unless you have a way to get coal to the ports in sufficient quantities to fuel them, but, again, wood-firing is an option. That said, converting an oil-fired engine over to solid fuel is a more difficult process (you need to install a grate, remove the burner jets, add a way to stoke the fire, make sure you have sufficient firebox volume to get enough heat out of the wood, etc.), and coal-fired engines that used mechanical stokers to automatically feed the fire (like most large US locomotives after about 1910 or so) would basically have to give up on the use of the mechanical stoker entirely (it's hard to get logs to be pushed along by an Archimedes screw, and woodchips don't have the mass to not just get sucked out the stack by the draft), but those aren't really issues for much of the UK's preserved steam engines.

(The case of old tires being used as fuel was by an American locomotive crew who were given a load of such poor-quality coal that they claimed it contained "more dirt than carbon," and were, as a result, having to stop every ten minutes to spend the next ten minutes trying to build up enough steam to get going again. Eventually, in desperation, having stopped by a junkyard, the fireman got off the locomotive and grabbed a couple dozen old tires from the junkyard, which he started feeding into the firebox one at a time as needed. These burned most enthusiastically, and they were able to complete their workday... and the next day, they came into work and were told they were fired, after being shown the grate in their locomotive--which was now completely fouled with the melted nylon belting of all those tires. Given this was the 1950s and steam was on the way out, the engine was apparently just written off. As for the electrical heating element, during WW2, the Swiss railways needed more switching locomotives for electrified areas, but they couldn't buy more because all of their electrics were built in Germany... and they couldn't revert to coal because the bulk of their coal also came from Germany. The solution--which lasted precisely as long as the war did and was reverted the instant they gained access to more coal supplies again--was to take some old steam switchers, place a giant electric space heating element in the firebox, and power that off the overhead electric lines. It was inefficient as all hell, as all electric heating is, but it still boiled water and got the locomotives to move, so...)

CrazyNoVa · Sunday at 8:45 PM

Question: Could Paul create a suit like the Batman Beyond suit for Robin? A "Robin Beyond" suit, if you will?

It would be awesome, and I'm pretty sure that it would let Robin carry even more gadgets and weapons than he already has. Not to mention that it would also protect his face better too, since the tiny mask in his default costume doesn't really do a good job at covering all of his head. Plus, it would give him an additional way of flying in case his flight belt suddenly fails for some reason.

Also, Batman's got a ton of power armors and Iron Man-esque suits, so it's about time Robin gets one too.

Might as well make him his own version of the Hellbat too, while we're at it. A "Hellbird" or "Hellwing", if you will.

Mr Zoat · Sunday at 8:57 PM

CrazyNoVa said:
Question: Could Paul create a suit like the Batman Beyond suit for Robin? A "Robin Beyond" suit, if you will?

It would be awesome, and I'm pretty sure that it would let Robin carry even more gadgets and weapons than he already has. Not to mention that it would also protect his face better too, since the tiny mask in his default costume doesn't really do a good job at covering all of his head. Plus, it would give him an additional way of flying in case his flight belt suddenly fails for some reason.

Also, Batman's got a ton of power armors and Iron Man-esque suits, so it's about time Robin gets one too.

Might as well make him his own version of the Hellbat too, while we're at it. A "Hellbird" or "Hellwing", if you will.

I think so. Not quickly, as he'd have to work out how to mate a dozen or so alien designs together to make it, and he hasn't bothered to do that for a light stealth suit so far.

He already made a suit of power armour for Arsenal, so Richard knows that he could ask for one. I imagine that he's a little put off due to how deadly it is.

CrazyNoVa · Sunday at 9:33 PM

Mr Zoat said:
I think so. Not quickly, as he'd have to work out how to mate a dozen or so alien designs together to make it, and he hasn't bothered to do that for a light stealth suit so far.

He already made a suit of power armour for Arsenal, so Richard knows that he could ask for one. I imagine that he's a little put off due to how deadly it is.

Fair enough, but surely Dick must understand the necessity for such force in extreme situations, especially after his own mentor had to put on his own mechsuit during the Sheeda war, right?

Lord Ernest · Sunday at 9:58 PM

CrazyNoVa said:
Fair enough, but surely Dick must understand the necessity for such force in extreme situations, especially after his own mentor had to put on his own mechsuit during the Sheeda war, right?

But Robin is already a Danner Enhancile, no? I get the part about the additional gadgets and equipment, but generally for high level encounters he just needs to turn off the suppression bracelet, if he's still using that.

Someguy Somewhere · Sunday at 10:01 PM

Sounds like it would just be a modified Darkstar Exo-mantle. The use case is pretty similar as far as 'combat / infiltration' armour, just ask Jade. Problem with using the darkstar suits as a baseline is that the OG ones are powered by Controllers. In the comics later models weren't restricted that way, but anything properly Alien would be beyond the base repair skills of Robin or the rest of the bat family or league crews.

Better to use some Earth Based for them to deal with.

Dick already got Dannered under OL, and can take a fair bit of damage nude....likewise he's got base levels of super strength and a fair resistance to normal levels of harm. Batman is un-augmented and thus Needed the Power Armour during the Sheeda and Anti-life situations, were as a Danner'ed Robin didn't need the physical buffs.

Given Robin's gotten a bit closer to Zatanna after OL had to step back, he might be better off looking for magical upgrades to his standard gear. Or Alchemical ones provided by Kid Flash. A few charms to aid his steath skills, and some new bombs or tools to the utility belt would likely do Dick better in the long run then a tin suit.

CrazyNoVa · Sunday at 11:38 PM

Lord Ernest said:
But Robin is already a Danner Enhancile, no? I get the part about the additional gadgets and equipment, but generally for high level encounters he just needs to turn off the suppression bracelet, if he's still using that.

Someguy Somewhere said:
Sounds like it would just be a modified Darkstar Exo-mantle. The use case is pretty similar as far as 'combat / infiltration' armour, just ask Jade. Problem with using the darkstar suits as a baseline is that the OG ones are powered by Controllers. In the comics later models weren't restricted that way, but anything properly Alien would be beyond the base repair skills of Robin or the rest of the bat family or league crews.

Better to use some Earth Based for them to deal with.

Dick already got Dannered under OL, and can take a fair bit of damage nude....likewise he's got base levels of super strength and a fair resistance to normal levels of harm. Batman is un-augmented and thus Needed the Power Armour during the Sheeda and Anti-life situations, were as a Danner'ed Robin didn't need the physical buffs.

Given Robin's gotten a bit closer to Zatanna after OL had to step back, he might be better off looking for magical upgrades to his standard gear. Or Alchemical ones provided by Kid Flash. A few charms to aid his steath skills, and some new bombs or tools to the utility belt would likely do Dick better in the long run then a tin suit.

What if it was a suit that enhanced his already superhuman strength to levels beyond that of a regular Danner enhancile?

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