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

This technology was built by regular humans and is used by regular humans… Okay, apart from that one guy who can see magnetic energy, but that ability wasn't actually vital to the process or anything. He just really likes seeing magnetic energy so got a job somewhere where he always would.

It's not work if you love what you're doing.

She makes an amused snort. "If he had, there is no way that he would have been able to keep it to himself."

Unless he forgot about it. Which is a possibility.

"I would dream of disappointing

"wouldn't"

When do you intend get married

"to get"

"As I said, once my father is dead. I intend to ask my uncle to officiate, both because I respect him and because it will emphasise his authority over me after I killed his predecessor

I'm guessing he's talking about Drax.

Oh, good, because I'm not actually a chirurgeon and my backup plan was to get you wasted."

Celestia frowns. "And that is not going to happen."

"Okay, but… You could over-indulge here without it getting back home." She looks at me quizically. "Just saying."

"I… Shall bear that in mind

I think you just opened the floodgates.
 
i thought the only way to travel between their universes was the mirror, and that changed you to the native species? how is Celestia on Grayven's Earth and still a pony?
 
i thought the only way to travel between their universes was the mirror, and that changed you to the native species? how is Celestia on Grayven's Earth and still a pony?
He can also use Boom Tubes to travel there.

I'm guessing he primarily uses the mirror so that he can change and fit in.

Plus the structures there would probably be too small for his regular body.
 
i thought the only way to travel between their universes was the mirror, and that changed you to the native species? how is Celestia on Grayven's Earth and still a pony?

Sunset already modified that Mirror some time ago, they can control it so it doesn't have time dilation and prevent the species transformation as well. Luna has already visited in her natural form, for example. Can't recall exactlt when it happened, though.
 
Supnautica (part 1)
Supnautica

4th May 2013
09:55 GMT -5

Governor Grisham shrugs. "I agree, but unless he's willing to testify there's not much I can do. We don't have cameras everywhere, and the ones we do have aren't high resolution."

"Can I..?"

"Look through our records?" He nods. "Sure. You can do that a whole lot easier than we can, and if you've got some idea of when he was attacked then that'll help."

I nod, standing up as I do so. "Thank you for your time, Governor."

He stands up as well, and offers me his right hand. I shake it.

"Do you need someone to take you to the server room?"

I shake my head. "No, I can find it. Thank you."

I turn and walk out of his office. By 'find it' I mean 'downloaded all of it the moment I became aware of the incident', but there's no need to be rude when he's being helpful.

Is now a good time to ask the League to lean on Washington about truth compulsion magic and telepathic testimony in trials? The problem with having a right to a fair trial is that you can waive it. Isn't there a state interest in ensuring that criminals are punished appropriately?

Note to self: try finding a parallel universe where the United States never gained independence and see how it's going.

And not just for personal interest.

I

step out, aiming for the slightly twisted desire structures of the prisoner whose victimhood led me to the prison today.

"Good morning."

He maintains the same impassive expression as his comrades, leaning back as he sits on his bed. "I'm pretty sure you just turning up in my cell violates my rights."

"Yeah. You should talk to your lawyer about that."

His lawyer who hasn't got in contact yet. I shrug.

"There are other lawyers, you know."

"I'll wait. Thanks."

"You can." I nod. "You can. I would suggest that showing a little initiative in closing down a potential leak might be looked upon favourably -I do have far greater investigative powers than your senior business associates are likely to- but I'm not here with the thumbscrews." He shrugs nonchalantly. "The other-."

"What's a thumbscrew?"

"Ah… A medieval torture device. Lock someone's hand in place and turn a screw which gradually crushes their thumb."

"Damn."

I shake my head. "It's pointless. You could do the same thing with a hammer, and still have a useful tool. And it's not like torture's a reliable way to get information anyway."

"Pretty intimidating."

"During the Hundred Years War, the French used to cut fingers off any English soldier they caught so they wouldn't ever be able to loose arrows at them again. Henry the Fifth of England won that war. I wouldn't overestimate-."

"Like, the Shakespeare guy?"

"Yes the Shakespeare guy. Shakespeare's Histories are -naturally enough- based on real history. The other reason why I'm here-."

"Took a girl to see it one time. Didn't think I'd pay it much attention, but it was actually pretty good."

"Brush up your Shakespeare,
Start quoting him now,
Brush up your Shakespeare,
And the women you will wow
."

He stares at me for a moment. "Whow, dude, I thought this was gunna turn into a musical or something."

"That's the chorus. If I was doing it properly I'd need to start with a verse. I spoke to-"

"Because I usually-."

"-Governor Grisham."

He smiles. "Oh yeah? How is he?"

"He's in good health. And he gave me access to the camera records, including your attack."

There's a tiny flicker… But that's all there is. "What attack?"

"What happened to you is.. very illegal. The Justice League employs telepaths. And discretion. I would like to see the person who attacked you punished."

"There was no attack."

"It is possible to proceed with a case where the alleged victim doesn't want to cooperate. It's difficult, particularly in cases where physical evidence is unlikely to exist and the alleged perpetrator is unlikely to confess, but it can be done. Were I to proceed in this manner, I would need to speak with all potential witnesses-."

He glares at me. "Fuck you."

"I realise that this is a sensitive topic, but I really do just want to help. I do have a list of everyone who was in your cellblock at the time. If you can think of any who might-."

He stands up in an explosive motion, arms jerking up over his head. "FINE! Fuck!"

"Alright. If-."

"Fucking thumbscrews! You want the message we got?"

"It.. would be quite helpful. And I wish to emphasise that it can't be used in your prosecution because -as you've noted- you haven't yet had access to a lawyer."

"And-." He waves his right forefinger at me. "Don't tell anyone else you heard anything from me."

I nod. "As far as anyone will know, I found out by scanning phone records."

"And there was no attack."

A prosecution would be unlikely anyway, and this is clearly distressing him. "Very well. If you insist. What form does the message take?"

"It's on paper. Usually burn it after-." He shakes his head, sitting down. "Since it's the only one there's nothing for you to compare it to. But you might get something out of it."

"I will certainly try. Would you like to be kept apprised of the results of my investigation? It may help your defence."

He thinks, then shakes his head. "Send everything to my lawyer when the… When he gets here."

"As you will. Thank you for your cooperation."
 
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Supnautica

4th May 2013
09:55 GMT -5


Governor Grisham shrugs. "I agree, but unless he's willing to testify there's not much I can do. We don't have cameras everywhere, and the ones we do have aren't high resolution."
Ah, dealing with one of the groups that attacked the Lexcorp offices? Presumably the first group, who exercised their right to remain silent very loudly by declaring they wanted a lawyer. Or maybe the second group, who seemed oddly-behaved and had their documented history removed sometime between arrest and interview.

"Can I..?"

"Look through our records?" He nods. "Sure. You can do that a whole lot easier than we can, and if you've got some idea of when he was attacked then that'll help."
I'm guessing they're claiming 'amnesia' or some such concerning their actions, and blaming it on a mental attack. Then again, Lonnie may have hit them with the same bureaucratic erasure spell he used on himself and the roof team... Edit: 😨Nothing so spectacular, it seems. Let's just say the fellow in question had a bad time with another prisoner. The kind that leaves you with a pain in the ass and the need for a trigger warning. :mad: Let's just say the attacker in question is destined for one of the nasty hells.

I nod, standing up as I do so. "Thank you for your time, Governor."

He stands up as well, and offers me his right hand. I shake it.

"Do you need someone to take you to the server room?"
At least the prison is offering full assistance.

I shake my head. "No, I can find it. Thank you."

I turn and walk out of his office. By 'find it' I mean 'downloaded all of it the moment I became aware of the incident', but there's no need to be rude when he's being helpful.
Ah, Power Rings. So Awesome, as ever.

Is now a good time to ask the League to lean on Washington about truth compulsion magic and telepathic testimony in trials? The problem with having a right to a fair trial is that you can wave it. Isn't there a state interest in ensuring that criminals are punished appropriately?
The trick is working around American political things like their Bill of Rights. Plus setting potentially awkward legal precedents.

Note to self: try finding a parallel universe where the United States never gained independence and see how it's going.

And not just for personal interest.
A common alternate universe concept, really. Not as popular as 'What if the American Civil War went differently?', though...

I

step out, aiming for the slightly twisted desire structures of the prisoner whose victimhood led me to the prison today.

"
Good morning."
Honestly, if he wasn't inclined to work within existing legal structures, the Illustres could be a holy terror for crime...

He maintains the same impassive expression as his comrades, leaning back as he sits on his bed. "I'm pretty sure you just turning up in my cell violates my rights."

"Yeah. You should talk to your lawyer about that."

His lawyer who hasn't got in contact yet. I shrug.
Yeah, sounds like they got cut loose by their regular employer...

"There are other lawyers, you know."

"I'll wait. Thanks."
You'll be waiting a while, methinks.

"You can." I nod. "You can. I would suggest that showing a little initiative in closing down a potential leak might be looked upon favourably -I do have far greater investigative powers than your senior business associates are likely to- but I'm not here with the thumbscrews." He shrugs nonchalantly. "The other-."
Not that OL would need torture when he has more potent methods of persuasion that he's choosing not to use. One quick branding, for instance...

"What's a thumbscrew?"

"Ah… A medieval torture device. Lock someone's hand in place and turn a screw which gradually crushes their thumb."
Or other digit, but a thumb is an easy choice because life gets a lot harder without a working one.

"Damn."

I shake my head. "It's pointless. You could do the same thing with a hammer, and still have a useful tool. And it's not like torture's a reliable way to get information anyway."
Half the function is to scare the person into it with the slow application of pain and the anticipation of worse. Very few torture methods usually got applied when it came down to it. Mostly just the threat would do the job...

"Pretty intimidating."

"During the Hundred Years War, the French used to cut fingers off any English soldier they caught so they wouldn't ever be able to loose arrows at them again. Henry the Fifth of England won that war. I wouldn't overestimate-."
Which is responsible for the iconic 'V' salute the English favour over 'flipping the bird'. At least, the 'back outwards' version - English longbowmen basically taunting the French about their intact fingers.

"Like, the Shakespeare guy?"

"Yes the Shakespeare guy. Shakespeare's Histories are -naturally enough- based on real history. The other reason why I'm here-."
Though gussied up with far prettier language and long speeches in inappropriate situations.

"Took a girl to see it one time. Didn't think I'd pay it much attention, but it was actually pretty good."

"Brush up your Shakespeare,
Start quoting him now,
Brush up your Shakespeare,
And the women you will wow
."
Heh. Wooing ladies with pretty words is an age-old art. I remember one online commentator I follow telling a story about how being familiar with the works of Judy Blume and other 'girl's books' (due to lacking other options growing up and having older sisters' hand-me-down literature) was later very handy with girls his age. Very handy, if you get my meaning. 😘

He stares at me for a moment. "Whow, dude, I thought this was gunna turn into a musical or something."

"That's the chorus. If I was doing it properly I'd need to start with a verse. I spoke to-"
I know OL's a decent singer, but do contain your amusement.

"Because I usually-."

"-Governor Grisham."

He smiles. "Oh yeah? How is he?"
Cocky, aren't you?

"He's in good health. And he gave me access to the camera records, including your attack."

There's a tiny flicker… But that's all there is. "What attack?"
Determined to keep that tack, are we? Edit: :oops: Okay, totally got the wrong idea, and, well... His reluctance to acknowledge it is understandable...

"What happened to you is.. very illegal. The Justice League employs telepaths. And discretion. I would like to see the person who attacked you punished."

"There was no attack."
Either very determined, or they really are amnesic in some manner. Given at least one of the roof team did get his documented history erased, or someone erased it for him... Edit: No wonder OL is being so compassionate right now.

"It is possible to proceed with a case where the alleged victim doesn't want to cooperate. It's difficult, particularly in cases where physical evidence is unlikely to exist and the alleged perpetrator is unlikely to confess, but it can be done. Were I to proceed in this manner, I would need to speak with all potential witnesses-."
And convictions are far less likely, usually depending on irrefutable physical evidence.

He glares at me. "Fuck you."

"I realise that this is a sensitive topic, but I really do just want to help. I do have a list of everyone who was in your cellblock at the time. If you can think of any who might-."
Huh, they really did get mind-whammied, then. Anarky's work, no doubt. Edit: Sadly, while the fellow has the wrong idea of where OL's going with this, better he receive actual justice for this, not a shank in the shower sometime in the future.

He stands up in an explosive motion, arms jerking up over his head. "FINE! Fuck!"

"Alright. If-."

"Fucking thumbscrews! You want the message we got?"
If you remember it, certainly. I expect any physical or digital copies no longer exist, thanks to Lonnie. Edit: Yeah, he's probably already been sharpening a spoon or something.

"It.. would be quite helpful. And I wish to emphasise that it can't be used in your prosecution because -as you've noted- you haven't yet had access to a lawyer."

"And-." I waves his right forefinger at me. "Don't tell anyone else you heard anything from me."
Still worried about that? At this point, I'd be more worried that your previous employer even remembers you exist.

I nod. "As far as anyone will know, I found out by scanning phone records."

"And there was no attack."
To be fair, as a Lantern, he could easily provide evidence of just about anything and it would be taken as nigh-unimpeachable.

A prosecution would be unlikely anyway, and this is clearly distressing him. "Very well. If you insist. What form does the message take?"

"It's on paper. Usually burn it after-." He shakes his head, sitting down. "Since it's the only one there's nothing for you to compare it to. But you might get something out of it."
It would have had to have been a very good duplication of their usual style for Lonnie to deceive them, I bet.

"I will certainly try. Would you like to be kept apprised of the results of my investigation? It may help your defence."

He thinks, then shakes his head. "Send everything to my lawyer when the… When he gets here."

"As you will. Thank you for your cooperation."
Poor guy's kind of up ship creek, isn't he? Depending on how effective that history erasure spell was, the lawyer he's expecting may have forgotten who he was to visit...

It might be just general fuzziness on their fate, but they weren't actually mind-wiped, were they, and this guy's insistence is just covering his ass? It took a few reads to work it out and I'm still not sure which way it leans for each group. At any rate, I'm guessing OL will be able to locate the remains of the message and reconstruct it somehow. Hopefully that'll be a useful lead.
Edit: 😒 Ooof, kind of regretting that comment about asses... Mr Zoat's comment covers it, though.

The problem with having a right to a fair trial is that you can wave it.
The problem with having a right to a fair trial is that you can waive it.

Also, spotted this on the re-read needed to sort it out in my head.
I sigh. "Probably
won't
be, but I want to try."
The line break needs deleting, I reckon?
 
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The problem with having a right to a fair trial is that you can waive it.

Also, spotted this on the re-read needed to sort it out in my head.

The line break needs deleting, I reckon?
Thank you, corrected.
It might be just general fuzziness on their fate, but they weren't actually mind-wiped, were they, and this guy's insistence is just covering his ass?
No, you've completely misinterpreted the whole thing. The man was raped in prison and doesn't want anyone else to know about it. The SI wants to have his rapist identified and punished, but the man thinks he's threatening to publicise the fact that it happened in order to get information.
 
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No, you've completely misinterpreted the whole thing. The man was raped in prison and doesn't want anyone else to know about it. The SI wants to have his rapist identified and punished, but the man thinks he's threatening to publicise the fact that it happened in order to get information.
😨 Talk about bad luck... Though this is one of the guys from the Lexcorp office thing, yeah? I didn't misread things that badly, did I... 😅
 
"And-." I waves his right forefinger at me. "Don't tell anyone else you heard anything from me."
That should say 'He'.

😨 Talk about bad luck... Though this is one of the guys from the Lexcorp office thing, yeah? I didn't misread things that badly, did I... 😅
I believe so. It just so happens that a completely unrelated attack against the thief has resulted in Paul unintentionally/obliviously getting some leverage over him.
 
I believe so. It just so happens that a completely unrelated attack against the thief has resulted in Paul unintentionally/obliviously getting some leverage over him.

So in other words, the guy thinks that Paul is trying to blackmail him, when he's actually got it all wrong.

Do you think this sort of thing happens often? Between the smilex misunderstanding in Gotham and other things, I'm noticing an odd pattern of people mistaking Paul for a supervillain.

Then again, Paul has a rather unusual kind of moral compass in comparison to the rest of the human race, so of course people would have trouble understanding him at times. Up until recently when he travelled to that parallel universe with Alan, he was a pretty firm believer in the "want the ends, want the means" philosophy.
 
So in other words, the guy thinks that Paul is trying to blackmail him, when he's actually got it all wrong.

Do you think this sort of thing happens often? Between the smilex misunderstanding in Gotham and other things, I'm noticing an odd pattern of people mistaking Paul for a supervillain.

Then again, Paul has a rather unusual kind of moral compass in comparison to the rest of the human race, so of course people would have trouble understanding him at times. Up until recently when he travelled to that parallel universe with Alan, he was a pretty firm believer in the "want the ends, want the means" philosophy.
It's not necessarily because Paul has a weird moral compass.

The guy probably thinks that if he keeps quiet then he won't be mocked and considered an easy target by other prisoners.

But if his attacker/s get caught then why they're being punished may get out and people will know what happened to him.

The guy might be hesitant even if Superman was talking to him.
 
Is now a good time to ask the League to lean on Washington about truth compulsion magic and telepathic testimony in trials? The problem with having a right to a fair trial is that you can waive it. Isn't there a state interest in ensuring that criminals are punished appropriately?
His obsession with this seems kind of stupid the longer it goes on given there are Comic universes where that's a thing and they always end up going full totalitarian with evidence eventually coming out about how a bunch of people were wrongly convicted because of one reason or another.
 
His obsession with this seems kind of stupid the longer it goes on given there are Comic universes where that's a thing and they always end up going full totalitarian with evidence eventually coming out about how a bunch of people were wrongly convicted because of one reason or another.

Not to mention that from their point of view, there's an argument to be made about how using magic to compel someone to tell the truth, assuming that it IS the truth, is comparable to using mind-altering drugs to make someone tell you what you want.
 
Supnautica (part 2)
4th May 2013
10:23 GMT -5

Alan reads the message, which looks like it was printed out on one of those old printers where the paper has holes down the side. There probably are old communication systems which are hardly used any more but remain functional because some part of them is still used by something.

"And he just gave you this?"

"No Blue Lantern, I found it entirely on my own."

He frowns for a moment, and then nods. "I know this isn't admissible as evidence, but can we just… I don't know, leave it somewhere where the police can find it?"

"I don't think so, but you can check with Icon. Besides, they're being charged for the break-in. That doesn't add anything to the charges."

"Sounds like a criminal conspiracy worth investigating to me."

"Heh." I shake my head. "Reminds me of a sketch in the series 'Yes Prime Minister'. Prime Minister Hacker wants to find out where a leak came from, so he calls for a leak inquiry. His confused Principal Private Secretary then says 'so you don't want to find out where the leak came from'."

I grin, but he just looks confused.

"I think that joke's a bit too British for me."

"The purpose of a leak inquiry isn't to find a leak, it's to make it look like the government is trying to find a leak without actually finding it, probably because they know perfectly well who leaked it but can't politically afford to sack them. If he actually wanted to find out where a leak came from, he'd call in the counterintelligence specialists."

He nods. "Okay, I guess that explains the joke, but I don't see how it relates to what we're doing."

"If we actually cared about who broke into LexCorp, we'd call in a telepath, or Diana would lasso them or I'd brand them. We don't, but we can't afford to just let it go because it happened right in front of us."

"And because that's not how the law works."

I know he's not going to get it, but I just have to say it.

After erecting a sound baffle.

I put my right hand on his left shoulder, smile my best Sir Humphrey Appleby smile and say:

"A-lan."

He takes a moment to try and work it out, but ends up just shaking his head. "Okay, I'll watch it."

I recover my hand and dismiss the sound baffle. "None of us started as police officers. And if the United Nations abandoned fig leaf tomorrow, nothing much would change. We've all apprehended plenty of people without formal powers of arrest, and Diana's used her lasso plenty of times. If any of us thought-."

"Okay." He holds up his hands in surrender. "Okay. I agree. So how much of our time do you think this is worth?"

"Lonnie Machin's actual ability to do anything on a global scale, as of a year ago, was effectively zero. I don't know what his ability is now. There are dozens of ways to enhance a human body or mind. The information I have suggests that he would use them with an enthusiasm that would make me uncomfortable. He was in close proximity to a device that appears to give good physical boosts and erases a person's memory. Did he use it on himself? Other people?"

"Would he?"

"Assuming that he's behaving within expected parameters, only if they volunteered. And he would refuse to lie, but…" I point at the piece of paper. "If he's the one who sent that, it's a pretty big lie."

I wave my hands in frustration.

"Enginehead said that Lonnie used him to hack something Justice League related. Is… The League, or someone in the League, experimenting with human augmentation?"

"I don't think so. And I've, ah… Got to be honest-."

"Yesyes, I'd be the first suspect. I never doubted it. But if I was going to build a super-army, I'd probably go with power armour. That would let me use alien technology rather than whatever augmentative formulae I could dig up. I'm not intelligent enough to make my own."

"So let me just make sure that I understand what you're saying. Someone on the Justice League gave that Buddy Blank fellah powers, and wiped his memory, and built those robots, and then Lonnie Machin finds out about it and kidnaps Enginehead so he can get proof."

I shrug. "Maybe. Maybe. He doesn't trust authority, so maybe he just wanted to investigate us first. A lot of people aren't happy about the whole 'taking over the planet' thing, and not just because I brought it up. Or maybe we have a file on the subject somewhere, or a record of a similar technology that could help his investigation… Or maybe he thought we did. I don't know."

"You want me to ask around?"

"My report is on the system, and once Hardware's finished studying it then I'll put his on there too. Anyone who comes across something similar can cross-reference what they find. The only…" I point at the print out. "The only avenue for following up on that is trying to work out how Lonnie managed to send it."

"Or whoever managed to send it if it wasn't him. And to do that it would sure help to know who sent it."

"Yep. And the first thing that comes to mind is handing that over to Mister Levi and seeing what he can get."

"Ah." He frowns. "How does that work? And don't say 'm-'."

"Magic." He sighs. "It's similar enough to their legitimate orders that it fooled the people who received it. If we're lucky, that's enough for some sort of ritual correspondence thing."

I slump slightly.

"But then there's the question of whether it's even worth our time. If there is some sort of problem, having an unknown third party investigating it is actually pretty useful. If there isn't, then his intrusion is irritating but it isn't a problem… Particularly when we should be focusing on trying to fix the world."

"I see what you're saying, but this feels like something that could come back to bite us in the ass if we ignore it."

"I agree. But this is all something that I can handle by myself."

I reach out for the print out, and he passes it to me.

"I'm pretty sure that Mister Luthor is going to.. offer him-."

There's a faint… Rumbling sound, and a-.

I look out towards the sea. The level is.. rising, and-.

"Blue Lantern to Justice League. The Atlantic's surging. Every Lantern-."

He waves at me to go and I nod, transitioning to my station on the African coast. No storms this time, and several of the places swept bare during Oceanus's surge were never resettled. And there's no lightning, which is nice.

I form a giant sonic construct in the air all along the coast, and shove it into the water.
 
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"My report is on the system, and once Hardware's finished studying it then I'll put his on there too. Anyone who comes across something similar can cross-reference what they find. The only…" I point at the print out. "The only thing avenue for following up on that is trying to work out how Lonnie managed to send it."

I assume it was intended to be 'thing' OR 'avenue' rather then both?
 
The purpose of a leak inquiry isn't to find a leak, it's to make it look like the government is trying to find a leak without actually finding it, probably because they know perfectly well who leaked it but can't politically afford to sack them. If he actually wanted to find out where a leak came from, he'd call in the counterintelligence specialists."

He nods. "Okay, I guess that explains the joke, but I don't see how it relates to what we're doing

Well Luthor probably won't cooperate with any investigation.

suggest that he would use them

"suggests"

wave my hands is frustration

"hands in"

. Is… The League, or someone in the League, experimenting with human augmentation?"

Well Aquaman could technically count, since his subjects are augmented humans and any research they do into that could count.

Mister Atom can also count, since he does have connections to Sivana and wants to rule the planet.

But then there's the question of whether it's even worth our time. If there is some sort of problem, having an unknown third party investigating it is actually pretty useful. If there isn't, then his intrusion is irritating but it isn't a problem… Particularly when we should be focusing on trying to fix the world."

It is worth your time since if said third party fails then you have a dead kid on your hands and his murderers could hide even deeper.

Plus, they're probably planning to conquer the planet and can give people powers to do that.

I look out towards the sea. The level is.. rising, and-.

"Blue Lantern to Justice League. The Atlantic's surging. Every Lantern

Looks like Ahri'ahn is making his debut.

Explains the title of the episode.
 
4th May 2013
10:23 GMT -5


Alan reads the message, which looks like it was printed out on one of those old printers where the paper has holes down the side. There probably are old communication systems which are hardly used any more but remain functional because some part of them is still used by something.
Man, that takes me back... to the Eighties or so. The old days of computers, with continuous paper with alternating lines for proofreading clarity... Though such things are still in use today. So it's not likely some ancient piece of hardware. Maybe a modern Telex machine-equivalent.

"And he just gave you this?"

"No Blue Lantern, I found it entirely on my own."
I can't imagine Alan being fooled by that, even if OL resisted the urge to give it a sing-song tone of 'I did nothing wrong and you can't prove it'.

He frowns for a moment, and then nods. "I know this isn't admissible as evidence, but can we just… I don't know, leave it somewhere where the police can find it?"

"I don't think so, but you can check with Icon. Besides, they're being charged for the break-in. That doesn't add anything to the charges."
Maybe a mitigating detail in their defence, but really, it's not gonna do much. After all, they appeared to be experienced at covert infiltrations like that.

"Sounds like a criminal conspiracy worth investigating to me."

"Heh." I shake my head. "Reminds me of a sketch in the series 'Yes Prime Minister'. Prime Minister Hacker wants to find out where a leak came from, so he calls for a leak inquiry. His confused Principal Private Secretary then says 'so you don't want to find out where the leak came from'."
Government inefficiency. When something does the opposite of what it's intended to.

I grin, but he just looks confused.

"I think that joke's a bit too British for me."
That's what BBC America is for. Or any streaming service these days... Assuming it's available in their country. (Sorry, a streamer I follow was watching Adventure Time, only for it to disappear from the service she was using at the start of December... 😒 Little vexing, yes.)

"The purpose of a leak inquiry isn't to find a leak, it's to make it look like the government is trying to find a leak without actually finding it, probably because they know perfectly well who leaked it but can't politically afford to sack them. If he actually wanted to find out where a leak came from, he'd call in the counterintelligence specialists."
Ah, the theatre of public opinion. 'We must be seen to be doing something!' Even though the most visible option is the least feasible way of solving the problem.

He nods. "Okay, I guess that explains the joke, but I don't see how it relates to what we're doing."

"If we actually cared about who broke into LexCorp, we'd call in a telepath, or Diana would lasso them or I'd brand them. We don't, but we can't afford to just let it go because it happened right in front of us."
Well, in front of Mitchell, specifically, but we see your point.

"And because that's not how the law works."

I know he's not going to get it, but I just have to say it.
The joy of using a reference the other person doesn't know.

After erecting a sound baffle.

I put my right hand on his left shoulder, smile my best Sir Humphrey Appleby smile and say:
A sampling of the series humour. I'm sure you guys can work it out for yourselves who's who...

"A-lan."

He takes a moment to try and work it out, but ends up just shaking his head. "Okay, I'll watch it."
Good, it's a good show. I'm sure he'll have a laugh at the political humour.

I recover my hand and dismiss the sound baffle. "None of us started as police officers. And if the United Nations abandoned fig leaf tomorrow, nothing much would change. We've all apprehended plenty of people without formal powers of arrest, and Diana's used her lasso plenty of times. If any of us thought-."
Ah, the quirks of a world where super-powered vigilantes exist and feasibly functions like the real world... In this case, the law adapting by making provisions for them.

"Okay." He holds up his hands in surrender. "Okay. I agree. So how much of our time do you think this is worth?"

"Lonnie Machin's actual ability to do anything on a global scale, as of a year ago, was effectively zero. I don't know what his ability is now. There are dozens of ways to enhance a human body or mind. The information I have suggests that he would use them with an enthusiasm that would make me uncomfortable. He was in close proximity to a device that appears to give good physical boosts and erases a person's memory. Did he use it on himself? Other people?"
He could even have acquired New God technology, which could be worrying in and of itself.

"Would he?"

"Assuming that he's behaving within expected parameters, only if they volunteered. And he would refuse to lie, but…" I point at the piece of paper. "If he's the one who sent that, it's a pretty big lie."
A lie in support of exposing truth is still a lie, after all.

I wave my hands in frustration.

"Enginehead said that Lonnie used him to hack something Justice League related. Is… The League, or someone in the League, experimenting with human augmentation?"
And if they are, why the heck didn't they ask OL to help? If they knew his views on it...

"I don't think so. And I've, ah… Got to be honest-."

"Yesyes, I'd be the first suspect. I never doubted it. But if I was going to build a super-army, I'd probably go with power armour. That would let me use alien technology rather than whatever augmentative formulae I could dig up. I'm not intelligent enough to make my own."
And any super-soldier formula inevitably tends to have tradeoffs that outweigh the benefits. Like the difficulty of applying Danner Formula, or the morality-affecting aspect of the Evil Formula... Or the MCU's Erskine Serum, with its amplification of every trait, good and bad.

"So let me just make sure that I understand what you're saying. Someone on the Justice League gave that Buddy Blank fellah powers, and wiped his memory, and build those robots, and then Lonnie Machin finds out about it and kidnaps Enginehead so he can get proof."
It sounds kind of silly when you say it like that, I know. But this is a universe where people dressed like bats (and birds) fight crime in a gothic city... And other cities have people flying around in not-tights, or guys who run faster than sound...

I shrug. "Maybe. Maybe. He doesn't trust authority, so maybe he just wanted to investigate us first. A lot of people aren't happy about the whole 'taking over the planet' thing, and not just because I brought it up. Or maybe we have a file on the subject somewhere, or a record of a similar technology that could help his investigation… Or maybe he thought we did. I don't know."
The annoying thing is that if they had such a file, it's apparently one the Lanterns can't find, much less Batman.

"You want me to ask around?"

"My report is on the system, and once Hardware's finished studying it then I'll put his on there too. Anyone who comes across something similar can cross-reference what they find. The only…" I point at the print out. "The only avenue for following up on that is trying to work out how Lonnie managed to send it."
Since I doubt he used a postal courier. They probably have a dedicated printer in their base facility that receives very specific messages...

"Or whoever managed to send it if it wasn't him. And do to that it would sure help to know who sent it."

"Yep. And the first thing that comes to mind is handing that over to Mister Levi and seeing what he can get."
Because you're assuming magic was involved in some way? Or just because he has a supernatural advantage in that sort of sympathetic backtracking?

"Ah." He frowns. "How does that work? And don't say 'm-'."

"Magic." He sighs. "It's similar enough to their legitimate orders that it fooled the people who received it. If we're lucky, that's enough for some sort of ritual correspondence thing."
Especially if there was some manner of digital or mystical checksum that checked out as correct.

I slump slightly.

"But then there's the question of whether it's even worth our time. If there is some sort of problem, having an unknown third party investigating it is actually pretty useful. If there isn't, then his intrusion is irritating but it isn't a problem… Particularly when we should be focusing on trying to fix the world."
On the other hand, there's the risk Lonnie may blunder into something he can't handle, even if he's augmented himself. Which may result in civilians getting caught in the crossfire.

"I see what you're saying, but this feels like something that could come back to bite us in the ass if we ignore it."

"I agree. But this is all something that I can handle by myself."
OL, no. If someone wants to help, do not turn them down.

I reach out for the print out, and he passes it to me.

"I'm pretty sure that Mister Luthor is going to.. offer him-."
Some form of mentorship, maybe? I doubt he'd offer to foster the boy.

There's a faint… Rumbling sound, and a-.

I look out towards the sea. The level is.. rising, and-.

"Blue Lantern to Justice League. The Atlantic's surging. Every Lantern-."
Oh, boy. Here we go again! At least this time it won't require Superboy doing a punch from near-orbit to settle. Hopefully.

He waves at me to go and I nod, transitioning to my station on the African coast. No storms this time, and several of the places swept bare during Oceanus's surge were never resettled. And there's no lightning, which is nice.

I form a giant sonic construct in the air all along the coast, and shove it into the water.
Generating a counter wave to reduce the force of it? Sensible.

I'm guessing the waves are from Atlantis' shields dropping, which would potentially displace a significant amount. In the worst case, the entire kingdom is rising to the surface... And once the water is dealt with, the question will be what the hell they've been waiting for, and why it took so long to emerge. Unless something is very wrong in the state of Poseidonis, anyway...
 
Oh… this is Doc Smiley again, isn't it? Paul getting distracted with a disaster whenever he gets close to starting to investigate it?
Boss Smiley interferes when it comes to improving society at large in a very significant way. It's more likely to be Ahri'ahn, as something similar happened in the Renegade timeline.
 
Boss Smiley interferes when it comes to improving society at large in a very significant way. It's more likely to be Ahri'ahn, as something similar happened in the Renegade timeline.
Not the thing underwater… the thing Anarchy is investigating. Doc Smiley probably set up a thing so that whenever Paul is about to start investigating him something big comes up in order to encourage his passivity.
 
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Not the thing underwater… the thing Anarchy is investigating. Doc Smiley probably set up a thing so that whenever Paul is about to start investigating him something big comes up in order to encourage his passivity.
Paul was about to put that thing on a back burner anyhow, he didn't need a catastrophe to distract him. Moreover, the whole thing is not something Doc Smiley would do anyway, if he is even still active after the world got wrecked out of status quo several times.
 

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