Endymion regards him curiously. "If they can't send demons to Earth then I doubt that it matters how big their army is."
"No, I mean… If that's where the souls of bad people go, then… Does it get bigger the more bad people there are?"
Let's hope
that part of their canon plan got side-tracked by Team OL's presence, otherwise Earth is in for a rough time.
Endymion turns back to the hellscape, thinking it over. "Oh."
"If it makes you feel better, I'm not convinced that they're actually demons."
Really, OL? I mean, sure, they're
basically fleshy aliens here, but still...
Taggart frowns, looking mildly offended. "Then what the fuck were they?"
"Some sort of living creature that naturally used Hell magic."
As opposed to what? Something like Mazikeen? A mystical creature embodied in simulated organic matter?
"What's the difference?"
I half-turn, pointing to the giant cybercorpse with the skull-shaped hole through its chest. "See how it's left a physical body, and bled actual blood?"
"And… What, proper demons don't do that?"
Different universe, OL, different rules.
"Bingo. If they possess someone, it turns back into normal blood once they get banished. If they manifest, it… Basically evaporates. You can keep it corporeal with the right equipment or magic, but otherwise it decays back into raw magic without something anchoring it in place."
Different rules. This Earth seems comparatively less magical overall than DC Earth, so of course things are more mundane here.
"We're in Hell. Where are they gunna go?"
"Even in Hell, they should decay into raw energy if they get smashed up enough. And… That thing's got internal organs."
Taggart nods thoughtfully. "Something that huge has got huge guts. I'd hate t' be the guy who's gotta unclog its toilet."
...You actually got him to say the line...
I suppose it had to turn up
somewhere.
I shake my head. "I've been monitoring the surface of Hell. Plenty more demons of the types we've seen… And there's some sort of miniature 'New One', and a grey flying ball like the red flying balls, but I haven't seen any kind of animal or living plant."
"So..?"
Aw, not even bothering to mention
Mancubi or the
Revenants?
Or are you counting them amongst the 'ones you've seen'... They are kind of mutated variants of demons or humans, I suppose.
"So I'm not sure they eat. I mean, it was walking around naked. Did you see an anus or urethra?"
"Is this the kinda thing officers talk about?"
Well, they generally have to do the
heavy thinking. I figure details like that were deliberately ignored on the original designs, since at the
low blocky-pixel resolution of the original games... It'd have to be
enormous to be visible.
"Thinking of going mustang?"
"I was just thinking… Once you all go back to super-Earth, I'm gunna be the leading expert on demons. Forget a Court Martial; I could turn that into an all expenses paid trip to Quantico."
Well, there's two possibilities: You become a paid consultant... Or you get black-holed somewhere, interrogated to death and
then executed for the original offence.
"Is there a military prison in Quantico?"
"No, it's the Marine Corps O.C.S.."
From context... The High Command and Military Intelligence think-tank?
"Right, it's just… Who in the government was backing the space program and the teleporter research, and how much are they going to want to cover this up?"
"Oh. Huh." He thinks for a moment. "Can we take the big guy back with us?"
"Don't see any reason why not. Why?"
You might have to content yourself with its skull as a trophy.
"'cause… Yeah, I get what you mean, they could just black bag me. But I think it'd be the temporary kinda black bag, where I get a secure debrief away from the press. And…" He looks around. "Everyone responsible's gotta be dead by now. And the people in charge have gotta be smart enough to realise that this problem ain't goin' away."
...Or the demons are invading Earth as you speak, and no-one's going to be in any position to care until you've killed their leaders.
"You're putting a lot of faith in the rationality of senior spooks and government officials, there."
He smiles. "That's why you're gunna drop me and the big guy off in Time Square."
Ah, a nice
visible, heroic appearance. That's going to get way more attention than the top brass can easily cover up...
"I see. Yes, that could work. Still a risk, though."
"What's your plan?"
I manifest an orange power ring, and hold it up.
I assume a lantern would be a given too. Otherwise he'd run out of charge real fast.
He shakes his head. "Aw, Hell no."
"No?"
Good, he's good enough sense not to take the magic space ring. Red would fit his canon version better anyway...
"That might be a thing you can do on Super Earth, but 'round here, if I had something like that, I'd go to sleep one day and wake up dead, and the ring would spent the rest of time in a DARPA lab being studied by 'top men'. My plan works 'cause I don't have anything except experience, but if I got something they actually want, it wouldn't work."
No, Super-Earth is a whole
different thing. But Supers-Earth, that makes more sense. Also, I'm surprised Taggart hasn't mentioned the whole 'Green Lantern' thing at any point, unless the entire DC superheroic franchise was dead by his childhood...
"You may have a point."
The air next to us glows, and then Sandro appears.
Ah, good, he
is up and about. At least they'll be able to get back to Earth Sixteen. And Mamoru won't be stuck on a whole different world to his own.
Taggart nods. "Hey man. You alright?"
"It was… Restful. But I am eager to return to my studies."
I suppose being undead has advantages for the academically inclined. No need to rest so you can study and experiment for as long as you like...
"Do you want us to drop you off somewhere? Not.. Ashan, presumably, but, somewhere else? Endymion could probably use a new magic adviser."
"Thank you, but I think that I should like to remain here."
Taggart blinks. "Ah…"
He
may want to remake that humanoid illusion if he's going to hang around Earth....
"On this moon, floating over Hell. I wish to study how it connects with other realms. Nothing about those creatures suggested great magical ability, and yet they were able to maintain portals to another plane of existence. I had assumed that was easier away from Ashan, but that easy? I think there's something about this place that makes is easier."
And to some degree, he'll also serve as a sentinel to prevent other demonic attempts to get out, via Deimos at least.
I nod. "Alright then." I hold out my right hand while Taggart fishes around in his combat webbing. "Since we probably won't see each other again."
Sandro takes it, shaking it bonily. "Travelling with you has been a fascinating experience."
After one last tricky trip through interdimensional non-space...
"Here." Taggart passes him a radio. "Just in case I ever come back here and need to get in touch."
"A sensible measure. It wouldn't do for your colleagues to mistake me for one of the possessed."
A skeleton wearing wizard's robes might stand out a bit, yes.
I look up at the sound of flapping, and Mazikeen and Angelica come in to land, my alter ego floating along with them.
"Learn anything?"
No luck getting him back in his own skin, then...
Angelica nods. "That I sorely underestimated Zor, and shall not do so again. The magic these creatures use is crude but powerful, and requires the strongest of their number to sustain it for ritualistic reasons."
Mazikeen shrugs. "We can take us home, but we're no closer to finding out why we went where we went. And frankly, I don't care enough to want to delay our return."
I'm guessing anytime they want to poke one of Zor's hideyholes, they'll do it from a
safe distance.
"And, ah…" I point to the skull which is now flying around Taggart. "Him?"
Mazikeen shakes her head. "We can't turn him back. I'm not sure how much of him was still there when you did… What you did. I suspect that it was more an instinct than an intelligent decision. Perhaps he will recover and perhaps he won't."
I suppose Taggart gets his own little flying skull buddy after all, then.
I nod sadly. "Alright. I suppose that's the best we can do. Everyone ready?"
Everyone nods, and I press the detonator, and a thousand blinding lights erupt across the surface of Hell.
Aw, a fireworks display to end the adventure...
