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

[Mr Zoat]

20th September 2013
09:12 GMT +3

…

"Yes."

Hades leans forwards slightly. "Is this some manner of jape?"

"Ah. I think Eris is probably laughing now, at me, but your forgetfulness isn't the joke."

"Was it your idea?"

"… Yes, but as a solution to a pre-existing problem. Um. I'm not really supposed to tell you any more."

"Your have been ordered to hold your tongue?"

"Yes."

"By whom?"

Several of the court clerks cringe.

"Duly designated authority. There's a plan, and it's… Well intentioned…"

He sits back. "Is this my nephew's idea of a prank? I had thought that he was more serious than this."

"Ah. No."

"My brother, before you sent him on his sabbatical?"

"No. My lord, please stop asking."

"The Serpent of Avarice? Your Controllers?" He studies me. "No, I see that it is not."

There isn't an Ancient Greek story about not ruining your own surprise party, is there?

"My lord-."

"I assume that your consort has accompanied you here because you intend to ask me to accept guardianship of her soul."

Jade doesn't frown. "I was going to ask for myself, Lord Hades."

"Ah. Then let me be clear. Traditionally, a good deal of the decision-making relating to what happens to a soul in my court come down to piety. How well an individual has honoured the gods in word and deed. Many things are taken in the balance, but I am not feeling particularly honoured right now."

"My lord-."

His right hand grips the arm of his throne and cracks… Whatever it's made of. "Who has the authority to gainsay me in my own realm!?"

"No one."

"Then-!?"

He stops. His right hand unclenches, and crumbled chunks of throne fall to the ground.

"No one."

"I suppose you could make a case that Death of the Endless does, but for all relevant purposes, no."

He narrows his eyes thoughtfully. "I ordered you to do this."

"You authorised it, yes."

"I ordered you to cause me to forget the heritage of one of my aides?"

"That was part of it. My lord, please stop asking."

"Am I supposed to forget permanently?"

"No, the duration is until certain things happen. And as far as I know, they haven't, so please stop asking and just carry on with what you're doing."

He considers me. "Does anyone else know about this?"

"Melinoë does. But please, you told us to do this, and if you mess it up, the consequences will be unpleasant."

"For the Hellenic pantheon?"

"For you personally."

Hades considers me for a moment.

"I can hardly pass judgement on your decisions without knowing why I gave you whatever order I gave you. And I can hardly pass judgement on myself."

"Your wisdom is-."

"But mark my words, Pavlos." He leans forwards again, but this time with less menace. And I think he's shrinking? "Once I regain my memories, I will pass judgement on all those involved in whatever this is."

"Of course, my lord. I wish you all success."

He slumps slightly. "In what, in particular?"

"With regard to the thing you ordered me not to tell you about. I appreciate that it's disconcerting, but it really is for the best."

"Then I shall take your word for it, for now." He turns his attention to Jade. "Approach, postulant."

Jade takes several steps towards the throne, stopping a respectable distance away.

"You are not Greek. Why would you choose us, over your own peoples' gods?"

"You provide a better value service. And Vietnamese religion is kind of a mess."

"I assume that Pavlos spoke in our favour?"

"He did. Mostly in your favor."

"You're wearing a uniform. Does your profession not have a god?"

"Yes, but it's probably Nemesis."

"And?"

"I'm probably overdue for her attention myself. I've done a lot of bad things in my life, and I'd like to make up for them before drawing her attention."

"Ah. You understand that if you aren't able to make amends, you will be punished once you arrive here." His eyes drift to me for a moment, before returning to her. "Though if your marriage to Pavlos lasts any time, I will take that into account on the credit side of the balance."

"I know. I accept that."

"Then in the fullness of time, be welcome. But for now, return to the land of the living."

 

[Mr Zoat]

8th June 2284
10:00 GMT -7

Anton Flynn looks around as we march towards what I suspect was once Brownsmead's town hall, now remodelled as a… I was going to say 'pirate queen', but I suppose that she was really more a pirate baroness. A pirate baroness's manor. Nervous looking locals lurk here and there, weapons in hand but definitely not pointing at us.

"Nice place."

"Huah!" Sir Griffin scoffs loudly. "Tis a veritable hive of scum and villainy."

"Now, sure, but plenty of places were like that until they got their arms twisted." He smiles at me. "Isn't that right, Ambassador?"

I nod noncommittally. "Civilisation is a civilising influence."

We follow a bend in the road and I get a clear view of the sea, where I can just about make out the N.C.R. Northern Fleet. 16 inch naval cannons aren't actually great weapons for attacking places like this, but they'll turn whatever they manage to hit into gravel and sawdust.

"My point is-" Anton points towards where we can just about make out the docks where we can see both wooden ships and metal ships… Either being built new or being repaired. "-that this place could be a new centre of the shipping industry. They've already got the skills and the facilities-." He looks at Sergeant Matthew Willas. "Do they have a cannery?"

"How the-? I dunno."

Anton wiggles his right hand, dismissing it as a concern. "We'll build them a cannery, ship fish south down the coast without having to complete with Shi fishermen. Or east, once the roads are repaired. Your people eat fish, Sir Griffin?"

"Fish have not been a major part of our diet, but that is because we have no access to the sea. Communities close to rivers and lakes likely do."

"Well, we'll soon fix that."

Sir Griffin nods, then his eyes widen and his right hand jumps to the grip of his sword. I turn to see what he's-.

I grab his wrist as I see the slave pens. It looks like they don't have enough explosive collars to give one to everyone, so mostly leave them chained up when they don't have a job for them.

"Unhand me, sir, that I might deal with these godless savages."

"Let go of your sword. Saving them is why we're bothering to negotiate. If you charge in now most of them will get slaughtered."

He jerks out of my grip, but releases his sword with an angry snort.

There's a group loitering around the front doors to the manor. From the different emblems and the way they're arranged in separate clusters, I'm going to assume that they're representatives of the more significant pirate flotillas. Heavily armed members of Captain Storm's own crew are guarding the entrance, and keeping an eye on the crowd.

Sir Griffin moves to the van as his fellow knights move to the flanks of our party. I reach out mentally, but I don't feel any specific hostility. They're not happy about what us being here represents, but they didn't much like the Immortal either. They'll hear Captain Storm out at least, though she's going to have a devil of a time keeping them in order.

**[I reach out, towards the patterns in movement across the town…]**

Ah, of course. Never let a good crisis go to waste.

We're escorted inside without issue, through corridors decorated with nautical memorabilia and what I'm going to assume are objects of significance. No glass cases; glass is far too expensive for something like that. And then the doors are thrown open to what I suspect used to be the community hall, and we're led inside. Captain Storm is on a chair atop a raised platform, trusted guards armed with machine guns, super sledges and grenade bandoleers both standing guard around her and lining the walls. Off to our right-.

I **[feel Sir Griffin's surge of anger]** at the sight of slaves. Matthew just looks them over and then nods to one, who nods back.

"Alright, landlubbers." Captain Storm nods insolently at us. "What'd yah want?"

I take a step forwards. "Your surrender."

"I take it the Immortal's not coming back, then?"

"That seems unlikely."

"Dead?"

"No. But he and his surviving soldiers have fled to Siberia. Forces are moving up from the south and down from the north to eliminate his remaining faithful and establish a transitional authority."

"What's that comin' outtah yer mouth? 'Transitional authory-'." She looks around. "Get a load of this guy."

The peanut gallery snorts or chuckles as they feel appropriate.

"Where are you from?"

"England. Home of civilisation." She raises her eyebrows. "But let's get down to it, shall we?"

"I'll listen."

"You've seen the Californian naval vessels off the coast? There's more where that came from, and there are rather large armies heading slowly this way. You'll want us to have come to terms by the time they get here."

"What are you offering?"

"The age of piracy is over. You can fish, you can become actually legitimate merchants or you can apply to join what is provisionally being called the Washington State Coastguard or you can get lost. You will release all of your slaves and provision them until such time as we can sort something else out. If you have any strategic or fission weapons, they're to be handed over at once."

"And what do we get?"

"A chance to rejoin civilisation. Access to trade all down the pacific coast. Work, because I assure you there will be legitimate work while our friends and allies secure the region. And -not least- you avoid being obliterated."

"And Port Maw?"

"Will remain a port and trading hub." She inclines her head slightly. "If you have something specific to ask-?"

"Who will rule it?"

"In the short term, the most cooperative local potentate. In the longer term, if something isn't broken you don't fix it. We have no specific need or desire to remove you." There's a breathing out, a slight relaxing from the guards and from the slaves as the prospect of immediate violence recedes. "And while I do not guarantee that you will remain in post indefinitely, there will be plenty of opportunities for someone like you to advance themselves in either the state government or private industry."

"That's it? No tribute? No shipping magnates wanting revenge against us?"

"Tribute? Well, if you could let us walk away with any slaves you have who were members of the Brotherhood of Steel or the Wardens of the White, that would be helpful. You can pay us by saving us money. As for shipping magnates… I hope I don't need to describe in detail what happens to anyone who acts up after you've accepted this very generous offer?"

"I can work it out."

I nod. "I noticed. You've got people with line of sight to captains you think-" Her eyes widen slightly, but she clamps down with barely any outward sign. "-aren't going to cooperate. Why don't you tell them to take their shots, while I go out to the crowd outside and give them the good news?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

21st September 2013
08:58 GMT -5

"Morning, campers!" Oliver raises his coffee mug in greeting as I walk into the Mountain's kitchen. I look left and see Zatanna walk in from the direction of the hangar. "All ready for the big day?"

I shrug. "My.. birthday was four days ago?"

Oliver starts. "No one told-? Ah, great."

Zatanna shakes her head. "We're taking on new students."

"Ah… This is supposed to be the place for training new superheroes." Though I didn't… Think that Batman had picked up Jason Todd yet. And honestly between the yellow ring and the general change in his demeanour that might never happen now. Actually… I don't think that the League members have any apprentices who aren't already on the team. "Who?"

"Yeah, that's the thing." Oliver puts his mug down on the sideboard. "Because of how the League doing more work… Everywhere… It would be a big help if everyone was singing from the same hymn sheet."

"Are you-?" My mouth drops open as I consider the implication. "You're actually adopting the 'Big League' model?"

He looks mildly uncomfortable. "I wouldn't go.. quite that far. But I… Guess you're… Not too far wrong."

"Well, this is definitely worth your time. And I completely understand you putting this ahead of my chocolate company. So are you taking over den mother duties?"

"I.. prefer 'Principal', but yeah, basically."

"That's an optimal use of your abilities." I smile broadly, while he's just smiling awkwardly. "I'm genuinely impressed. I'm not used to this. So are they doing the same…"

I glance at Zatanna, who doesn't look anything like as excited as I am.

"The same rotating tuition thing we had?"

Oliver looks a little awkward. "Ah… No. We're mostly leaving it to you guys."

"Us guys?"

Zatanna nods. "Everyone from the first year who's not going to college."

Huh. I've been… Helping with training the Supergirls and Ak-Var already, so it's not like this is far outside of my wheelhouse. And my Lanterns, of course.

"So we're basically picking up from the Alliance of the Just?"

Oliver shakes his head. "No, we're… Not going quite that wide. Yet. Maybe once things are calmed down all the way and we can do proper vetting… But that whole thing showed that there's a… A real big demand for that kinda thing."

I raise my eyebrows and smile at him.

He takes a deep breath in, and then lets it out. "Alright. What?"

"Remember when you asked how you could untake over the world?"

Zatanna frowns. "Huh?"

Oliver looks increasingly uncomfortable. "Yeah..?"

"So you've given up on that? We're just going for full world conquest?" I clap my hands together and then rub them against each other. "Good show! But remember, if you want a particular continent, don't put you bid in last or you might get stuck with Australia."

Zatanna stares at me. "Wait, I thought that was just you saying something stupid on camera again. Were you serious about that?"

"It's not a matter of whether I'm serious about it or not. It's about whether the League is."

"Ah…" Oliver's visibly wincing. "We're not.. 'take over the world' serious."

"Well you should take it seriously; you're taking responsibility for the lives of five billion people."

"You know that wasn't what I meant."

"I think it was what you meant, I just don't think you meant to say it."

Zatanna puts her hands on her hips. "Could one of you please fill me in?"

"Global government collapsed, the League took over. Global militaries were crushed or suborned, the League took over. Currencies collapsed, the League took over-."

Oliver points to me. "The medallions were your idea."

"Yes, but I couldn't have put them into practice. The fact is, everything that central governments are supposed to do, the League is increasingly taking over. Because no one else was doing it and the League is in a position to do so. And that massively undermines governments, because what's the point of reconstituting them when the League does it all better, cheaper and easier? And the only thing holding it back was the lack of manpower."

Oliver bows his head.

"Because it's really only Batman-with-power-ring and Mister Atom who can manage the entirety of human civilisation. But there are a few more people in the world who can think on that level, or build machines which can, or can handle smaller areas… And the League doesn't need much more brute force due to the OMACs, but there's room for more specialised skills. And League members can't really take time away from their official League duties and secret identities, but members of our team are nothing like as renowned so we don't have the political or diplomatic value and do genuinely know enough to teach the new people the basics… And it probably does need someone from the League overseeing it, and you've got the time because you don't work for me anymore!"

"Okay!" Oliver claps his hands together. "Zatanna!"

She looks a little bewildered. "This is the first I'm hearing about this. Is that..? True?"

"From a… Certain.. point of view."

She thinks for a moment, and then nods. "Alright."

"Ah. Alright?"

Zatanna shrugs. "I like the idea of Batman running America better than the idea of Horne or Knight doing it. I know how China treated it's metahumans until they lost control of their Gobi Desert prison, and I know how corrupt the Russian government is. So if Batman's taking over the world, I think that's a good thing."

Oliver mantles his eyes with his left hand. "Oh… God."

"So is there a lesson plan, or are we working on that today, or is it more of a mentoring thing?"

Oliver takes a moment, and then lowers his left hand. "The plan… Was, that you'd have two or three of the new kids you'd mentor, and you'd rotate doing group classes. And suddenly I'm not sure that's a great idea."

Zatanna smiles brightly. "No, I think it's a great idea."

I nod enthusiastically. "Excited to be a part of it. I'll make sure that my classes cover logistics and economics, so that the future world-controllers have what they need in order to succeed."

Oliver bows his head again.

"Okay, Paul, tell me straight: have you filled in for my old job yet?"

"Afraid so."

A deep breath-. A lot of people have been taking those around me lately. I wonder if there's a flu or something going around? "Right, okay. Let's go grab the others and look though the new recruits."

 

[Mr Zoat]

21st September 2013
09:21 GMT -5

I'm leaning across the table before everyone's even sat down. "I'm having Hiro!"

"Egdod."

"Huh?"

The folder flips out of the way of my hand, and I give Zatanna a mildly betrayed look.

"I'd be a great fit for Hiro! Every time he got distracted I could just wave-."

Kaldur lays his hand on the folder. "We will not claim any students until we have discussed them all as a group."

"Yeah." Roy nods. "And since Robin's not here, none of the rest of us know who they are."

I sit back, trying to contain my disappointment. Leonid frowns thoughtfully. "How were these children selected? No Russians that I know of have been approached with an offer."

Kaldur shakes his head. "These were selected from amongst the potential candidates Batman viewed as most promising. Those who fought against Mannheim's forces or who acted to maintain stability afterwards."

Noriel scowls at a boy in a red demon costume. I'm honestly surprised that she's here, but she has the knowledge by now and… I assume that she convinced Batman that she's got the right attitude now. "If they already know what they're doing, what do they need us for?"

"Llits ria."

I try answering, but no sound emerges. Zatanna's gotten good at working around personal magic defences.

Kaldur smiles faintly at my predicament before answering himself. "The League feels that our understanding of Justice League procedures and techniques will allow us to both help them improve and make it easier for them to work with Justice League members in the future."

Roy snorts. "For the next worldwide disaster."

I tap the table with my knuckles, and then once I have everyone's attention nod emphatically.

Roy straightens up slightly. "What, is it already scheduled?"

I fan out my hands, palms upwards.

Zatanna shakes her head. "I only put enough power into that spell for a few seconds."

"Yes, but it's amazing how clearly some ideas can be communicated with body language. Should I ask why Blitzen isn't here? Or is it the obvious?"

Kaldur takes a moment to think about that one.

"Blitzen has only limited involvement with the Justice League, and is more familiar with the way in which the New Reichsmen operate."

Leonid looks stony-faced. "I know that she is learning to not be a Nazi, but I think it is best if she learns for longer."

"And Canis?"

Kaldur exhales sadly. "Canis has returned to the monastery where you found him. Learning that his exile was genuine has impacted him most profoundly."

"I suspect that he actually went back to finish his painting, but alright. Sooo…"

I start reaching for Hiro's folder again.

Kaldur picks it up and hands it to me. "Since you are so eager to recruit him, please describe him to the rest of us."

"Hiro Okamura, Japanese national, currently thirteen years old, genius engineer and technologist." I flip open the folder. "Ah. Apparently he spent January building giant animatronics to brighten everyone's day."

Leonid frowns. "Then why is he under consider-?"

"They also had eye-mounted plasma beam projectors!"

"Ah." Leonid nods. "Yes."

"Rates of deaths by suicide and misadventure were far lower where he was operating than the Japanese average. The actual design specifications of the robots aren't that impressive, but that's because he was rushing them into the field."

Kaldur nods. "What kind of plasma? I would be concerned if he had already developed a casual attitude towards killing at such an age."

"No, it was low temperature electrified plasma. Like getting a solid punch to the chest combined with a taser shock. They could turn it up if the target was tougher than normal, but he always defaulted to a low lethality setting."

Roy snorts. "Maybe you shouldn't get him after all."

I give him a hurt look. "I default to low lethality."

"Yeah, but he's gunna find out what you do off Earth. I don't know if he should get the idea that that kinda thing's normal at thirteen."

I shrug. "That was how old Robin was when we went to Santa Prisca. But… Okay. Who here speaks Japanese?"

Noriel nods, and Zatanna raises her right hand with a shrug. "I can fake it with magic."

"I'd be faking it with a power ring."

Leonid frowns. "He does not speak English?"

"He does, but he's never spoken it with native speakers for a prolonged period of time. You know how-" He's nodding. "-different it is. Anyway." I flick through the file, but there's not much I didn't already know so I put it back on the table. "Feel free to read up on him, but I'd love to have him on board."

Zatanna raises her right eyebrow. "Onboard with the Justice League, or onboard with NEMO?"

"Both? Either? I think Earth needs him more at the moment, but I'll see how he adapts when I start handing him samples of exotic materials to play with."

Kaldur nods. "We shall take that into consideration." He reaches forwards and picks up a file, showing-.

Really?

"The Face. Orange Lantern and I met him on our mission to Aberrance."

"Yes. Yes we did. I can't say he impressed me with his comportment, and his abilities are marginal."

Leonid looks curious. "Why is he called 'The Face'?"

Kaldur turns the file around so that The Face's picture is visible to the rest of us.

"Ah."

Kaldur nods. "His appearance is strange. His life was saved by Doctor Otto von Schadel, who altered his body surgically after he was gravely injured by being struck by a car. He retained his metahuman ability to project fire, and Doctor von Schadel's work has increased his strength and endurance beyond normal human limits."

"Anything in there about his attitude?"

Kaldur flicks to the last page. "This file was compiled by Mister Atom."

There's a general wincing.

"I guess we can do interviews. Who else is on offer?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

21st September 2013
09:29 GMT -5

Zatanna frowns. "It's a movie prop?"

Kaldur thinks for a moment. "Perhaps it would be wise to check before confirming his place."

Noriel clenches her right fist, which burns with golden fire. "If that is true, then the test shall also be his ordeal of repentance."

Zatanna gives her a mild glare. "Dressing up in a costume is not a sin."

"It-."

"Hate.. to side with Noriel… Ever, but she does have a point." They both blink at me. "Dressing up isn't a sin, but Blue Devil went from using a prop to using demon magic, and I suspect that any sort of outward acceptance of the demonic is going to encourage people to do stupid things. Like summoning demons and making pacts with them."

Leonid shrugs. "Is this a problem? If Blue Devil does good, surely the demons are just out of pocket."

"Generally speaking, the objective of demons is to convince people to damn themselves and so provide the demons with more power. Under most circumstances, this causes extreme suffering to the soul in question."

"But if a person chooses to accept that suffering, and saves many lives, I do not see the problem. Surely it is no different to.. pushing someone out of the way of a car and being hit by it yourself. You break your leg, they live."

I nod slowly. "If the car used the strength it gained from breaking that leg to increase its ability to break more legs in the future, and the person who got pushed out of the way was statistically very likely to keep wandering around busy roads, and getting a broken leg made it harder for you to get out of the road-. I mean, it would, obviously, but permanently. Oh, and if the alternative for all parties was eternal bliss, with no cars or roads involved at all."

Noriel stares at me. "I agree with everything that you just said. What are you doing?"

"I wouldn't want to become predictable, would I?" I shake my head. "It is possible to come out ahead in a deal with a demon, it much the same way that it's possible to win the lottery."

Leonid nods. "You might… But you will not."

"Oh, it's worse than that. There were several cases of winners of the British lottery blowing all of their winnings in a year or so and going back to being paupers because they've got no idea how to handle their wealth. Honestly, we should probably… Work out how to break Blue Devil's pact at some point."

Noriel's fire burns a little larger.

"His name's Nebiros. The demonic texts I checked suggest that he's vulnerable to water. Let me know if you want help."

Kaldur looks pointedly at me. "Thank you, but if we could return to the subject under discussion?"

"The potential demonic connection aside, he's got light power armour and can fly badly. He's reasonably athletic, considering, but he's the weakest candidate. The file suggests that he's well intentioned so we could put him on the long list for a future class, but…" I shrug-. And then stop. "Unless we're… Actually building an army, in which case, he's so psychologically malleable that he'd probably be a decent recruit as long as we understand that we'd basically be starting from scratch. Roy?"

"Ah, yeah, that all sounds.. reasonable."

"You're the power armour guy."

He frowns at me. "You're the power armor guy."

"I strap lumps of metal to myself while I fight with my ring. You're the one who uses it as your primary weapon."

He picks up the folder and flicks through it. "He's… Really just an eager kid?"

"Honestly, yes, as far as I know."

"So if I walk up to him in costume and ask him about his armour..?"

"I doubt that you'll be able to shut him up."

"I guess that-." He frowns. "What was that about building an army?"

"It-."

Zatanna slaps me across the chest. Then she winces and rubs her now bruised hand because I'm wearing armour.

"Paul-. Paul seems to think that the Justice League is taking over the world."

"I am not allowed to talk about-."

"Shut up."

She glares at me and I raise my hands in surrender.

"He thinks that the Justice League is taking over government responsibilities and won't give them back."

Noriel tilts her head back. "The governments of the world are corrupted by vice and tainted by sin. The Justice League are virtuous in the practical sense, even if some of them should repent and embrace proper piety. They are a far superior choice."

Roy stares at nothing much as he thinks it over. "I guess she's… Not wrong. Ah, Kaldur, you got anything to say?"

Kaldur shrugs. "King Orin would rule Atlantis either way. I suppose that having a single universal set of trading laws would make interactions with the surface a little easier."

Zatanna blinks, then turns to Leonid. "Red Star, how do you feel about it?"

"I… Do not know. In Russia, we are usually more comfortable with autocratic authority than Americans, and… I admit, I think that Batman is a good leader. But from a nationalist perspective I would have to resist authority being transferred from the Russian government to anyone else, outside of the temporary emergency agreements which we have now."

I reach up and make the air quote sign, and mouth the word 'temporary'.

Leonid stares blankly. "I.. cannot lip read you."

"I am expressing scepticism about it being temporary. In Britain, almost all royal authority was lost not because of revolution, but because Queen Victoria just didn't exercise it for a long time after her husband died and parliament had to work around her. Even if governments re-establish themselves, they'll find that a lot of stuff is just handled by the Justice League now, and that there's no real appetite for changing it."

Roy nods. "So you think this is about setting up the Justice League version of West Point?"

"Thing about these people?" I pat the pile of folders. "None of them are the apprentices of League members. This isn't about training assistants, substitutes or successors. This is expansion."

"And the OMACs are the enlisted. Okay. But you're doing it anyway."

I shrug. "I don't exactly mind the Justice League taking over the Earth. I just want to know that there's a plan, that we're not just going to stumble into it unprepared." I wiggle the folder of a silver-skinned young woman I've honestly never heard of before. "But this is a good start."

Kaldur shakes his head. "I think it would be best if we did not encourage them to believe that."

I nod. "No, they might not have the skills required."

He inclines his head towards me. "Since you have that folder, perhaps you could introduce her to us?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

13th June 2284
16:29 GMT -7

"Weeeeeeell…. Shit."

General McMahan has taken the news about as well as could be expected. He sits back in his chair, exhaling slowly through puckered lips. Major Moines, who had a summary beforehand, simply remains stoical.

"Two hundred years, huh? Okay, fine, not exactly what I expected when I went under, but they probably put it in the small print. What other bad news you got for me?"

"The United States no longer exists as a political entity."

He straightens up. "What, did the Commies win?"

"It was more of a double knockout."

"Okay, that was more in line with what I was expecting. But the radiation should have died down after ten to twenty years, and then the vaults should have opened. What the Hell happened?"

"I'm afraid that the vault project-."

"They didn't work?" He frowns. "I checked Vault One Hundred myself, my brother's family went in there."

"No, they worked. When they were intended to."

"What the Hell do you mean by that?"

"Vault-Tec used a lot of the vaults for biological, sociological and psychological experiments. And while some vaults were 'control vaults' with no experiment, those weren't actually meant to sustain a viable population either."

"What the Hell were they for, then?"

"The Enclave was researching the viability of moving people either to space-based habitats, or habitats which would be built on other planets. They needed to test how people would react to living in that sort of situation."

"You got any proof of that?"

"There's a recording of what the.. head of the Enclave said to a descendant of the Vault Thirteen survivors forty years ago, shortly before the Poseidon Oil Rig was destroyed. Admitted to the whole thing. I don't have a copy of the recording with me, but if you want to come to one of California's major libraries, they all have a copy."

"Weeeeeeell…. Shit. Okay. Poseidon Oil Rig, we talking about the same thing? Control Station Enclave."

"Yes, General."

Major Moines frowns. "General, should we be talking about-?"

He flaps his right hand dismissively. "It's been two hundred years, Major. Every piece of classified information we know is utterly worthless. It's more important that we get ourselves situated as fast as possible."

"Sir."

"Okay." The General raises his hands in a gesture of appeal. "So where did the resistance come from?"

"General?"

"The Enclave would have started trying to restore America as soon as it was safe to do so. Did the survivors of the Vault experiments blame the American government for what happened?"

"Ah, no. In.. point of fact, the Enclave mostly kept to itself for over a century."

He blinks. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not exactly sure why, but aside from a few army bases and private vaults, they didn't really interact with the surviving population until about fifty years ago."

"What the Hell were they doing?"

"They designed a new model of power armour. Ah. And they created a super virus."

"And what did the virus do?"

"It killed you."

He mulls that over for a moment. I doubt that an officer of his generation would have a moral problem with a biological weapon, but he could well have a practical one. "Were they gunna fire it at China?"

"No, they were going to immunise their own people and then release it locally."

"But that doesn't make any sense, it would just have killed off the vault survivors."

"Yes, General. Or, rather, if things had gone according to plan, it would have killed them first, and then been blown around the world on the winds and killed all other survivors as well."

"What the Hell did they want to do that for?"

"As far as we can tell, they believed that non-Enclave survivors were sub-human 'mutants', and needed to be slaughtered so that righteous Enclave-aligned humans could reclaim America."

"Were they on drugs?"

"Not unusually so."

"Goddamn. Okay. So I guess they're all dead, and we're all that's left?"

"No. Quite a lot of Enclave personnel weren't on the rig when it was destroyed, and they followed protocol and either went to ground or retreated to back-up sites. Most of them ended up either joining the local communities or settling in Iowa."

He nods, then frowns. "Why Iowa? I don't remember there being an Enclave-aligned facility there."

"No, General. They went to Iowa because it was entirely uninhabited."

"Iowa was-?" He bites his tongue, but I'll answer anyway.

"China knew that between the New Plague and the resource shortages, America was struggling to keep its population fed. They actually prioritised hitting farmland over small cities."

He nods, then thinks for a moment. "Alright. Shit's fucked. What are our options?"

"You could become military governor of Alaska. The whole Alaska-Washington-Oregon-Cascadia area is a bit of a mess at the moment."

"I'm here because it's where my country needed me, not because I fuck penguins for fun."

"Okay. They'd be happy to have you in Iowa. Things are a bit basic, but that's true just about everywhere and they'd probably be most similar to you in terms of outlook."

"We're soldiers, Mister Krono. I didn't join the army because I wanted to take over the family farm. Does Iowa need a company of elite Commie-killers?"

"Ah, not really. Ah. Washington State? Things are a mess, but the.. alliance of resurrected states would be a lot happier if someone of proven ability to oversee the transition back to civilisation."

"'Resurrected states'? I though you said that America didn't exist."

"Civilisation's had two hundred years to recover. It's not all the way there yet, but we're getting closer. In fact…" I pull my satellite phone out of my satchel and hold out a cable, gesturing to his desk computer. "May I?"

"Go ahead."

I plug it in, and press call…

Governor Hayes' face appears after a momentary delay. I asked if he'd be willing to wait on the line, because 'Governor' is a title these people would actually recognise.

"And who might you be?"

"I'm Grant Columbus Hayes, Governor of California. I think that makes me just about the highest ranking American government official, by your standards. And my family were Enclave, prior to the rig being destroyed."

The general nods. "And what do you want with the last soldiers of America?"

Grant smiles. "General, that's not exactly a short list."