• An addendum to Rule 3 regarding fan-translated works of things such as Web Novels has been made. Please see here for details.
  • We've issued a clarification on our policy on AI-generated work.
  • Our mod selection process has completed. Please welcome our new moderators.
  • The regular administrative staff are taking a vacation, and in the meantime, Biigoh is taking over. See here for more information.
  • Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
  • For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
  • Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
  • Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
  • The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.

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

He.. does a sort of half-smile thing, and I'm worried that his face got damaged or something. "It is nothing that half an hour with a buffing wheel won't fix. And, yes."

He is-?
On one hand, it makes sense for an infiltration android. On the other hand, he has blatantly inhuman eyes, so I question his effectiveness as an infiltrator anyway. I suppose the eyes could be explained as a mutant trait, though.
"X Fifty? You are far calmer than you were during our last meeting. I approve of your new attitude, particularly given how our motherboards are identical and your insult made no sense."
"Ah. You are not X Fifty."
'X-Fifty' x2, based on previous chapters.
 
Even then, it would still be far less advanced. Sure, Sentinel tech may hail from decades, centuries or even millenia into the future, but that would still be nothing compared to Malthusian tech, which has had several billions of years to evolve. Thus, even a basic power ring would be much more advanced than even the most complex sentinel tech.
Neither DC nor Marvel are settings where age equals power.

I'd also remind you that Malthusians didn't invent Power Ring technology. It was invented by Volthoom, a dimension traveling human.

And no, actually its not, the most advanced sentinel technology is Enigma created bullshit which was sent back in time to destroy all mutants.
 
16th June 2012
19:43 EST


Rachel points at the drinks table and then swings her arm forwards, and the table flies off-.
Hey, don't mess up the decor! ... Well, at least the spiked punch is handled. I assume it would have spilled, unless she was being duly careful. And in her state, I don't think that's likely...

Are we really going to do this?

"Um." Kitty come up alongside me as Aaron's… Weird extendo-limbs undulate around the thrown table. "You're dating a robot? Did Forge-?"
And that's an original capability of the X-series. Not sure what use that would be in a robot soldier... Traversal aid, maybe?

Aaron points his fingers and there's a pff noise, and then Rachel's eyes widen and her hands come up as a bunch of… Darts? Stop in the air in front of her.

"No, he got built in some government place. My Dad knows his dad. Probably some kinda superhero thang."
...More anti-super-being thing, really. The inevitable response from the 'We don't like these uppity long-underwear fellows and their ideas about Truth, Justice and Freedom' types of shady government goons.

"Alright, that's enough." Mr. Summers walks forwards. His fists are clenched, but his hands aren't going anywhere near his visor. "Rachel, stand down now. Aaron, those better have been tranquilisers."

"And we're not dating… Exactly. He's just one of, like, two guys mah age in the whole world ah c'n touch."
I'd mention that Cyclops does have visor controls in his costume gloves, but I doubt he's wearing any right now.

Rachel's glaring at Mr. Summers something fierce. I don't know what Aaron's supposed to have done in her messed up future, but it looks like it stuck in her head real hard. "He was the first infiltrator Trask designed! Apocalypse liked them so much-."

I lay my hand on her neck, and there's a quiet sort of gasp-shudder at my power takes hold. And then-.
Not exactly the best way to shut her down, but definitely one of the quickest. As long as it's a brief contact, it should be safe.

Uh. I've got better at this. Not that I want to. Using my power always gave me a look at what sort of person I was draining. Like it copied everything they were thinking about right onto my brain. Sometimes I couldn't remember who I was, whatever they were thinking about making me do exactly what they were planning on doing. But I know Rachel's anger at her Dad for being a fool or the Sentinel prototype for existing-
And probably hints of the memories driving those emotions too.

I take my hand off her, and Mr. Summers catches her as she collapses. "Thank you, Anne Marie."

-aren't mine, so I try forcing my body to stay in calm-mode instead of going into anger-mode like it wants to. And I don't see what Rachel saw, but I can remember the jury-rigged robots the Human Liberation Front sent after any mutants they could find because they didn't differentiate between Apocalypse's followers and the mutants fighting against him. I remember that there were robots who were intelligent, robots who organised and directed the others…
Yup, there's the memories. Wonder if these made an appearance?

Several of them looked like Aaron.

Hand-!
Later X-Series robots, maybe. If he was successful, why stop there, even if his creator had died?

I jerk my head around as Kitty lays her hand on my shoulder, because she knows that I don't like using my power, and what happens when I use it. I'm just glad that Rachel's mostly telekinetic; getting everyone else's thoughts as well as hers would be too much.

Aaron's walking over, his arms and legs retracting back to normal size. Looks like he's not getting his tuxedo deposit back-.
Because the base of the extension mechanic is closer to the elbow and knee than the wrist and ankle, respectively. Plus any damage from being thrown into the wall.

"So is he..?" Kitty leans in closer. "'Feature-complete'?"

"Huh?" What does she-? Oh. "Ah-! Ah don't know that!"
I mean, it's an odd feature for a combat android, but...

Kitty smirks. "Let me know when you find out."

"Ah might not-."
Aaron stops near Mr. Scott. "Hey Aaron." I step away from Kitty, who's obviously trying to be a bad influence "You okay?"
Hopefully the embarrassment doesn't show on her face.

He.. does a sort of half-smile thing, and I'm worried that his face got damaged or something. "It is nothing that half an hour with a buffing wheel won't fix. And, yes."

He is-?
Very good hearing. And yes, he is full of useful devices.

He turns to Mr. Summers, who's manoeuvring Rachel into a bridal carry position so he can take her out and dump her somewhere. "They were sedatives."

"Good. I'm.. sorry about her behavior. She had a rough childhood."
That's putting it mildly.

He tilts his head slightly to the side. "She mentioned 'Trask'. Would that be Mister Bolivar Trask?"

"Yes. According to her, he's working on a plan to build giant mutant-killing robots. Do you know him?"
Heck, in the comics, her 'Days of future past' history was caused by Sentinels. It's understandable she's not entirely rational when they're invoked.

"I met him yesterday. He was quite eager to learn about my design. I have not received any 'Sentinel'-related updates, but it is not impossible that he could create his own variant of my own X series as part of his anti-mutant force. Fortunately, other than myself, all other X series androids so far produced have been insanely violent. Using them in that manner would be ill-advised, at best."
...Probably not the best way to put that, Aaron.

"That's… Good to know."

"And in any case, he may be reconsidering his trajectory. I am not an expert in human behavior, but it appeared that Orange Lantern was quite persuasive when he attempted to convince him to take another approach. Would you like me to help you with Rachel?"
Still betting he angles towards augmented humans, resulting in Prime Sentinels.

"No, that's part of my job. What do you mean, 'another approach'?"

"He pointed out that none of Kang the Conqueror's followers had the x-gene, and as such any fears about a future x-gene aristocracy oppressing humans without the x-gene were unfounded."
Admittedly, Marvel timelines tend to be branches rather than mere forks. So proof of one future doesn't necessarily eliminate others.

"That's… Interesting, but the sort of person who builds giant anti-mutant robots tends not to be all that rational about it."

"Yes." Aaron nods. "Building a multifunction robot is far more rational, and there is little that can be achieved by a giant robot that can't be achieved by a human-sized robot with an aerial drone."
Especially if that aerial drone can attach to the humanoid when not in active use.

"Ah, if you say so." Mr. Summers looks at the mess Rachel made. "Would you mind-?"

Aaron nods. "I will tidy up. Anne Marie?"

"Ah, yeah." I follow him over to the table, which like a lot of the furniture in the mansion looks old. And solid.
Fortunately, Aaron is stronger than the average teenager.

Aaron reaches down and turns it over like it weighs nothing. "I understand that having drained Rachel Summers, you have temporarily acquired her power."

"Yeah, but ah ain't bin trained how to use it. Ah don't wanna make more of a mess."
I imagine her ability to use it is more like Force Push right now than 'molecular-scale rearrangement'.

"That is probably wise." He.. extends his arms again and picks up the table, twisting it right side up before walking it back to where it started. "How well do you think that I handled that situation?"

"Pretty good. No way y'all coulda known Rachel wuz gunna go psycho on you."
And not immediately going on the counter-attack beyond some knockout darts was a good plan.

"I had considered that I might experience hostility for being a robot. I did not predict that I might experience hostility for-" He sets the table down, and looks at the punch covering the floor. "-the actions of a completely different type of robot. Do you know where the janitor's closet is?"
Kinda like mutant-haters being irrational about it.

"Y'all don't have a built in mop?"

"I was built for combat and infiltration, not sanitation. I only know how to clean at all because Father makes me clean my quarters."
He may not be programmed for it, but I could imagine him chuckling as he said that.

"Hey, ah, dude?" Calvin comes over-. His face is still hanging off.

"X Fifty? You are far calmer than you were during our last meeting. I approve of your new attitude, particularly given how our motherboards are identical and your insult made no sense."
Heh. The 'yo momma' joke fell flat because he lacks a sense of humour.

"No, my name's Mim-. Calvin. Ah. I copied your powers, and now I can't get my face back on."

"Ah. There's a trick to it." Aaron raises his hands towards Calvin. "With your permission?"
Hey, be glad you only copied the opening face. imagine copying the extendo-limbs, but not being able to control them.

"Sure."

Aaron pushes Calvin's face back into place, then sort of shoves it up until there's a click, then takes his hands away. This time it stays there.
The must be a strange sensation, especially for a human...

"Ah. You are not X Fifty."

"No. And thanks. Now I'm going to get as far away from you as possible so that I can stop using your power." He steps back, looking really awkward. "You.. guys.. have a good night."
Still surprised he copied it, but he is a generalised power-copier, not just 'I have the powers of any mutant near me.' So he could theoretically copy something like the Super Soldier Serum's effects if he hung out near Steve Rogers.

Well, this was weird. But I guess we're learning about each other.

I gesture down the hall. "Closet's this way."
No canoodling mind. I'm sure Kitty's giggling to herself right now.

Good to see it sorted out quickly, with no significant damage to anything but the selection of drinks. And they got an idea of why Rachel was so fired up, too. Perhaps Scott can make this a lesson for her about jumping to conclusions. It would be amusing if Anne-Marie did end up dating Aaron thanks to his immunity to her powers.
 
I don't think it's ever been mentioned in the story and after 13-odd years of reading I wouldn't be surprised if I've just forgotten, but has Gorilla City or any of the characters from there, have they ever made an appearance or been mentioned?
One gorilla city mission is confirmed to have happened. Paragon-Paul was noted to have been particularly brutal with the takedowns there, in the aftermath. Dislocations that most people would find disturbing.

In the Grayven timeline, Gorilla Grodd consumed the brain of Monsieur Mallah, partner of The Brain, as part of the purge of The Light. I assume they're directly connected to Gorilla City, but I don't know their lore.

Integrating the secret city with the rest of the world's economies, technological research, telepathy potential... No, most opportunities to make them a recurring element have not been explored.
 
Neither DC nor Marvel are settings where age equals power.

I'd also remind you that Malthusians didn't invent Power Ring technology. It was invented by Volthoom, a dimension traveling human.

And no, actually its not, the most advanced sentinel technology is Enigma created bullshit which was sent back in time to destroy all mutants.

I've seen Enigma's tech, and even that still pales in comparison to a fully realized power ring.

Also, that's not even sentinel tech, so how is it relevant to the situation?
 
That's… Interesting, but the sort of person who builds giant anti-mutant robots tends not to be all that rational about it."

Most racists really aren't rational.

Well, this was weird. But I guess we're learning about each other.

I gesture down the hall. "Closet's this way."

There are so many ways this can be misinterpreted.

Neither DC nor Marvel are settings where age equals power.

Except for all the times where ancient beings tend to be the most powerful.

The Maltusians, the Presence, Michael and Lucifer, Galactus, the Celestials and all the other ancient cosmic forces in both settings.

I'd also remind you that Malthusians didn't invent Power Ring technology. It was invented by Volthoom, a dimension traveling human

In the New 52, which Zoat has said, multiple times, that he doesn't like and rarely uses.

And I'd bet good money that even the Volthoom thing has been retconned.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top