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

September 23rd, 2013
17:05 PT
Ian Face The Face

Ian?


I wave at the rubberneckers as we walk through the park, because…

Because even when I was being an asshole, I preferred to get it right rather than have Janus Senior give me another lecture. But it's…
Ah, Face returning to Aberrance yet feeling like he's stepped into a larger world. Not unsurprising for someone leaving their comfort zone. And really, he is going from being a big fish in Aberrance's small pond to a part of something bigger...

I don't really mind it.

"This is…. Strange."

La'gaan isn't smiling… I think? I don't know if he emotes in the way humans-. Regular-.
His piscine features probably make it harder to read his body language, even for someone used to Un-Men.

Uh…

I don't know what his facial expressions look like.
It probably doesn't help that he's used to looking upwards at people due to the placement of his eyes.

"In what way?"

"I had gotten used to surface people looking more like each other than Atlanteans do. But then I come here, and things are different."
This is a place where strangeness and 'otherness' are celebrated, rather than shunned.

I'd like to nod, but…

"What do you know about us Un-Men?"
Definitely best to start from the beginning, I suspect.

"I… Think that I heard that you have an arch mage who focuses on biomancy, and you volunteer to be changed. I never heard why, though. For Atlanteans, we were altered because our country was sinking."

"I was altered because I was going to die otherwise."
Ironic, given that Renegade Cranius probably leans more into true biomancy thanks to his connections.

"Ah." I… Twist, just far enough to catch him nodding. "Biomancy is rare on the surface. In Altantis, healing you would probably have been far easier."

And that's what I want to ask about. But… He's younger than me. He's not going to know everything people in his country can do… Except that he said it was common.
There's still a difference between common and ubiquitous. There's probably not as many healer-biomancers than the people would like.

He stops, watching a balloon-seller with hair covering his face.

"Is he an Un-Man?"
No, the human genome just gets weird sometime.

"I don't think so. Aberrance… People who get born differently come here, sometimes. And work as entertainers."

"Why?"
Because for many of the 'freaks', it's the only place they're not laughed at or treated differently.

"Because that's what we do here. It's-. Okay, I think I'm going to need to explain what Un-Men are for it to make any sense."

"I would be interested to learn."
That's what training programs and mentorships are for.

"About a hundred years ago, there was a man named Anton Arcane. Magic… Okay, the way I understand it, outside of Atlantis, there aren't really any magic.. schools, so you either find someone who can teach you or you're stuck working things out for yourself. He found some books written by a guy called Victor Frankenstein, and he'd been… Using stuff about spiritual energy pathways to see if it was possible to resurrect someone from the dead."
Have to wonder where Frankenstein found them before that.

"Was he successful?"

"Sort of. The man he stitched together didn't remember anything about his life…"
Ah yes, him.

"It worked?"

He sounds astonished, so I actually stop and turn towards him so I can see his face. Yeah, he's staring.
Not in the way La'gaan's thinking, sadly. While the body moved, the soul or souls that one inhabited it were long gone.

"Like I said, sort of. He used his old professor's brain, and the creature didn't remember being him. It didn't remember much of anything until he decided that he shouldn't have tried to deny God by undoing death. He tried burning the creature along with all of his notes and equipment, but it sort of woke up…"
At which point he and his maker had words.

"I see."

"Anyway, some of his writing survived, and he recreated some of the rest later, and when Arcane got a hold of it, he got a bit fixated. Frankenstein just wanted to see what was possible, but Arcane had an actual goal in mind. He wanted to live forever in a perfect body."
Sadly, things didn't work out too well in that regard.

"Many wizards have tried to extend their lives. But you said that the thing Frankenstein created did not remember his life."

"Yeah. So Arcane started experimenting. I've never read his records… The ones we have. But he ended up creating the first Un-Men. The first generation. Just about the only ones we have left are Cranius himself, Magna Mater and a few of the insectoids. He used them as servants-. Slaves, really. Or weapons. And he never got to the point where he was happy with his ability to create a better body for himself. But by that point his skill with magic had increased so he didn't need to build one himself. He made a deal with Swamp Thing for his body, and… That didn't work out, and he died. For a while."
With the clear implication that he came back, which I suspect La'gaan missed.

"But without going into that, some of the Un-Men he created could reproduce. And because their reproductive organs were human, a lot of their children looked human. To start with."

"By Oceanus."
Yes, it's quite right to feel disturbed by that. Especially the '...To start with'.

"And then they gradually changed into… Well… Things. Damien Kane is the important one. Started looking human, but… Sort of turned into a human-shaped pile of cancer. Cranius got hold of his remains after he died, and used that to… Skip some stages in learning how to control bodies. And that's how he made…" I point to… Some guy I don't recognise with compound eyes. "Him. And me. And the others. The third generation."
And eventually the heroes came along and destroyed it before it went on a town-destroying rampage... If I remember correctly.

"Was the man with the fur a third generation Un-Man?"

"No, he's just got some skin condition. See, Cranius wants to make money through biomancy, but this place is basically one big freak show. Do you.. have those in Atlantis?"
And relying on people who want to be strange and exotic isn't a steady business.

"No. What is it?"

"I'm the only person who looks like me. If I had a job doing just about anything else just about anywhere else, I'd… Bother people. But people will pay to see weird things… Weird people. And then they go back home, back to the normal places where we're not."
Especially in 'safe' circumstances like little cubicles with the 'freaks' safely separated from the 'normies', like the old days. 😒

"So the furry man is here because this is the place for… Unusual people?"

"No, he's here because if people want to see freaks, this is where they come. So if you want to make a living being a freak, this is where you have to-." My phone rings, and it's Janus Senior. "-be." I press 'answer'. "You got Face."
Heh, effectively ending the travelling freakshow as a business, but giving the performers somewhere to live without judgement.

"One of your new friends phoned the office. I'm transferring you through now."

"Which-?" There's a beep.
Ah, The boys managed to work out that the Face comes from Abberrance, so getting in touch that way would work.

"Face?"

"Yeah? Dove, right?"
...Now I wonder how Face holds his phone. At a distance on speaker, because his 'ears' are a long way from his mouth?

"Yeah. We just ran into a bunch of robots, and Aztec thinks they were a training exercise. You should be on the lookout."

"Don't worry. Uncorp security already dealt with them. Me and Lagoon Boy barely had to do anything."
Because of course they'd be on guard for any sort of 'random group of aggressive-acting people'. Wonder how many activist groups they run off each year?

"Oh, right. Do you have anyone else's number? And can the two of you meet up? If this is actually a test we should probably report back to base."

"Yeah, I've got Argent's number. And… You're right. Should we meet up outside the Mountain, just in case?"
Going by the numbers, she's basically on her own, isn't she? Doubt any attackers would get far with her though.

"Sounds like a good idea. Let me phone Argent first, and then I'll set up a group call."

"Right. Give me a second and I'll send you her number. La'gaan, you got a phone?"
Surprised they didn't exchange numbers during the meet-up as a part of orientation. I guess some of them preferred their privacy.

"No? Was I supposed to?"

"Don't worry, we'll sort that out." I end the call, and then open my contacts. "Kind of strange they'd give us force fields that make us immune to being hit, and then test us by sending things that hit us. But I guess it is our first day."
Also, I'm shocked OL at least didn't make sure they had personal communicators. Even if they were on a limited contact group with the League dispatch on emergency-only mode, this shows the importance of staying in touch.

24th September 2013
06:39 GMT +5:30


Oliver looks pointedly at me.

I shrug. "It is their first day."
And besides, wasn't it Ollie who set up the mookbots? Look to your own house, Green Arrow. Although he's probably annoyed that OL's objections are playing out.

To be fair to Green Arrow, it was something of an off-the-cuff idea. Give the rookies a nice, safe thing they could say they solved together? The problem was using the mookbots which people had seen before and giving them largely non-threatening weapons. At least they're getting the teething troubles out of the way with this group...
 
To be fair to Green Arrow, it was something of an off-the-cuff idea. Give the rookies a nice, safe thing they could say they solved together? The problem was using the mookbots which people had seen before and giving them largely non-threatening weapons. At least they're getting the teething troubles out of the way with this group...

To be further fair, it was only Aztek, who has literally trained for this sort of thing her whole life, who noticed the bots being familiar - everyone else just saw 'robots that need punching'. Overall I'd say it was honestly a pretty inspired idea by Ollie.

Hilariously while as noted we haven't seen Argent yet, of everyone else it's Face and Lagoon Boy who will probably get the best grade for handling it, and they didn't even do anything. But "using local assets to your advantage" is a part of hero-work...
 
Kind of strange they'd give us force fields that make us immune to being hit, and then test us by sending things that hit us. But I guess it is our first day."
To be fair, they also sent in a dude with a sonic weapon, presumably to stop you from thinking that you're invincible.
 
Starts making me wonder what a proper 'standard loadout' could or should be for new heros. Nothing like a full Batman Utility belt that does EVERYTHING, but some 'shouldn't leave home without' gear?

The Belts and Body Armor are a good start, but looks like the new comers didn't get ear pieces or secured phones. Communications is essential in combat. I think there's an old military saying that the most dangerous man in the world is someone with field glasses and a radio? Something along those lines.

Ok, so you have Defense covered by Belts and Armor. Should include some gas masks. headsets and goggles to cover the incognito stuff, and some proper helmets for combat. This isn't 40k, and you don't get immunity to snipers from being a named character.

You have a degree of mobility granted by the flight aspect of the belts and limited access to the Zeta Beam Network to cover deployment, but some lightly armored cars, or more of those weird bike things OL hated back near the start, as alternatives?

Offense is often handled by innate powers for heros but alternatives and backups are lessons learned (looking at OL and his pistol, Artemis having a crossbow to go with her full sized bow...Everything Robin Carries etc). The Belt works as a non lethal option for capture, but unlike the comic book version I don't think the YJ one comes with the 'blast', 'punch' or 'throw' using absorbed energy options...so...I guess Ramming is a fall back? Something like the neural shock pistol thingie the GL 'technically' have on file as a standard side arm would be an option here, and then there's the armory of stuff OL and the JL have laying around....don't think crumbler rail guns should be standard issue, but maybe the Plasma Pistols and Coil Guns could have less lethal options for that? Or just Guns, but I know how the League would feel about issuing newbies those.

Communications covers basic phones, but they should have some better protected stuff then off the shelf, along with earwigs for hands free, like the League uses. Magical Alternatives are something that might want to have as a backup since sometimes tech is an issue. Not everyone is rated for the fancy wrist computer Robin uses, but like the belts its something they can get some training with.

Recon, beyond the mark 1 eyeball is something that the phones can do with cameras and mics, maybe some binoculars, directional mics and night vision goggles issued when needed.

Policing, which means restraints and evidence collection, is zip ties (looks like Aztec already carries those, good for her) and gloves/ evidence bags + again the phone cameras for documenting things.


Anything Else folks can think up?
 
Starts making me wonder what a proper 'standard loadout' could or should be for new heros. Nothing like a full Batman Utility belt that does EVERYTHING, but some 'shouldn't leave home without' gear?

The Belts and Body Armor are a good start, but looks like the new comers didn't get ear pieces or secured phones. Communications is essential in combat. I think there's an old military saying that the most dangerous man in the world is someone with field glasses and a radio? Something along those lines.

Ok, so you have Defense covered by Belts and Armor. Should include some gas masks. headsets and goggles to cover the incognito stuff, and some proper helmets for combat. This isn't 40k, and you don't get immunity to snipers from being a named character.

You have a degree of mobility granted by the flight aspect of the belts and limited access to the Zeta Beam Network to cover deployment, but some lightly armored cars, or more of those weird bike things OL hated back near the start, as alternatives?

Offense is often handled by innate powers for heros but alternatives and backups are lessons learned (looking at OL and his pistol, Artemis having a crossbow to go with her full sized bow...Everything Robin Carries etc). The Belt works as a non lethal option for capture, but unlike the comic book version I don't think the YJ one comes with the 'blast', 'punch' or 'throw' using absorbed energy options...so...I guess Ramming is a fall back? Something like the neural shock pistol thingie the GL 'technically' have on file as a standard side arm would be an option here, and then there's the armory of stuff OL and the JL have laying around....don't think crumbler rail guns should be standard issue, but maybe the Plasma Pistols and Coil Guns could have less lethal options for that? Or just Guns, but I know how the League would feel about issuing newbies those.

Communications covers basic phones, but they should have some better protected stuff then off the shelf, along with earwigs for hands free, like the League uses. Magical Alternatives are something that might want to have as a backup since sometimes tech is an issue. Not everyone is rated for the fancy wrist computer Robin uses, but like the belts its something they can get some training with.

Recon, beyond the mark 1 eyeball is something that the phones can do with cameras and mics, maybe some binoculars, directional mics and night vision goggles issued when needed.

Policing, which means restraints and evidence collection, is zip ties (looks like Aztec already carries those, good for her) and gloves/ evidence bags + again the phone cameras for documenting things.


Anything Else folks can think up?

Power rings, obviously. OL's giving those out at the end of the week
 

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