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

2nd May
03:27 GMT -5

Anarawd sticks his head up through the mist, then freezes.

Mr. Yao nods politely. "Greetings, Anarawd."

A shift in the position of his right shoulder suggests that he's reaching for something.

I raise a construct autocannon. Abednego holds two pistols at the ready. Leonid brings his energy blasts to the 'ready to fire' status.

"I would advise you to think very carefully before doing anything precipitous."

Anarawd relaxes his shoulder, then raises his hands. I note that he's not wearing the armour his comrades were, meaning that I'm getting my first good look at a Sheeda. His nails are inch-long claws and his fingers are just slightly longer than those of normal humans. His skin is bone-white, and the tips of his ears extend to the level of the top of his head which is shaved but for a top-knot. A thin decorative tattoo has been stencilled across his forehead and his eyes are a gloss black in iris and sclera.

"Thank you. I was not certain that Sheeda could surrender."

"Huuuuuman."

"I am the Accomplished Perfect Physician. Would you like a hand out?"

The Sheeda's eyes narrow. "You will die."

Mr. Yao nods. "Yes, someday. But not today, and not by your hand."

Anarawd considers for a moment, then puts his hands on the edge of the pit and pulls himself out. Stronger than a baseline human would be with arms that thin. He's still wearing a pair of pants, and there's an unpleasant-looking knife strapped to the belt. He doesn't resist as Leonid relieves him of it.

"Do you have my colleagues?"

"I regret to inform you that they are dead."

"Then.. I am your prisoner." He brings his wrists together in front of him. "What will you do with me?"

"You will be interrogated at length. We know that there is a harvest fleet due to return to the present. This will be the final Harrowing."

Abednego places manacles around Anarawd's wrists, locking his entire forearms together. He then kneels to lock looser chains around Anarawd's ankles before standing and looking the Sheeda over.

"The terror of my forebears. 'Tis a strange thing to see you in the flesh. Do you know what Melmoth had planned for us, or are you ignorant of his aims?"

"I am not of the High-Born. Whatever schemes Dark Melmoth had in mind, he would not have stooped to tell me." His eyes narrow slightly. "And if you have slain my colleagues, you must have some idea of what we are doing. And if you know of the Harrowing, you must know something of what my Queen has planned. I am uncertain of what knowledge you hope to gain from me."

Mr. Yao nods. "And uncertain you may stay. Mister Abednego, can you secure this prisoner?"

"Aye, though it is not our common practice."

"You have a common practice for Sheeda?"

"Aye." He nods. "We have slain every Sheeda we have ever fought. T'was but one before today, but we were thorough with it." He puts his right hand firmly upon Anarawd's left shoulder. "And I would consider it no bad thing to add another Sheeda to that tally, so tempt me not."

He pushes Anarawd, and the Sheeda begins walking where Abednego indicates.

Leonid and I turn to Mr. Yao.

"What now, boss?"

"Orange Lantern, please inform the surviving people of this town that the Sheeda are dead. If there is some connection to their world and era, try to discover it. If they have physicians, ask that they come at once to assist Mistress Butler. Starfire, please pick up the young woman who aided us and bring her here so that Mister Abednego can unbind her."

"Sir, she said that she wanted to become like the Sheeda. Are you certain that we should release her?"

"That will be up to the people of this town. We are not here to set this world to rights."

Leonid nods, and we turn to walk towards the exit.

"I'll have to test how effective this armour is later."

"They did not detect you. I would say that it was effective." He grimaces. "That was disgusting."

"Your first time seeing mass murder?"

"Yes, thankfully." He shakes his head. "We are shown pictures. We see the remains of the dead that are recovered in the field to try to reduce how it shocks us. But to pin a man, a woman or a child to a bench and then cut them apart with a beetle… That is not the same thing as dying in battle." We reach the courtyard in silence. "It was not your first time?"

"My first time was after Klarion split the world. I don't know if you heard the interview, but I spent some time removing the bodies of children whose aircraft crashed."

"The League asked you to?"

"No, it just needed doing, and since I can't be traumatised like a normal person anymore I thought it was best if I did it. Diana still needed to bench me after I went into a fugue at the sheer senselessness of it."

I look over to where the flies are continuing to eat, blissfully ignorant of what's going on around them.

"The gordanians I marooned?" He nods. "They used implanted bombs to keep their prisoners in line. I've seen recordings of what the psions did to their prisoners; recordings made by the psions themselves for entertainment purposes. I've seen recordings of Spider Guilders eating the crews of entire ships alive, and I've seen the Reach drug entire planetary populations into executing each other." I shrug. "We deal with these things so that other people don't have to."

"How fortunate for us."

"Would you prefer it if we weren't?"

"No, I suppose not."

I shrug. "I'm afraid that all too often this is what the job is about. You… Find a pile of bodies and deal with it as best you can. I'm sorry, but I'm not really… Shockable in the way that most people are. I can get Lantern Gardner to talk to you if you like. Or… I think Robin's encountered a few things like this if that would be easier."

"No, I… Think that I will talk to my priest, when we return. And… Perhaps I will request a leave of absence."

I nod. "Quite reasonable, under the circumstances. But… Look, I know that the Russian government wants you to graduate to the Justice League eventually. This… Is unusual, but-."

"But I will see it again. And again." He looks at the ground for a few moments. "Yes. Yes, I understand. This is the job that we take on."

He rises into the air, and flies back towards the dead forest.

Right then!

I fly upwards and generate giant sonic projectors and cinema screens showing my face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is my great pleasure to announce that your Sheeda domitors are either dead or in custody. Your town is no longer under their control. Would anyone with medical knowledge please report to the barrack building. Would the town mayor or other civil leader please report to the barrack building for a full debriefing. Would anyone with an immediate security concern please report it to the glowing orange man. Would anyone…"