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

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by Mr Zoat, Jan 27, 2019.

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  1. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    With the wreckage of Darkmount still there and the American government very eager to study it, they decided that it was easiest to rebuild the town.
     
  2. Threadmarks: Feasibility Study (part 15)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    21st November 2012
    11:40 GMT -5


    Mister King winces quietly as Miss Linden tries to interface with the 'research' facility's central computer, the mid-level dominators who are on duty in the security office standing and staring into nothing.

    "Take as long as you like, Suzi. I can do this all day."

    "It's an alien plant, Henry. I control the Green. This is not Green."

    "But you can-?"

    "There's… More than one. I don't understand their… Their language."

    "Black Orchid, now is not the time for bravado. If you can't do it, we move on-."

    The mass of plant-computer undulates, small flowers and leaves growing on its exterior surface as Miss Linden breathes a sign of relief. And then wobbles unsteadily on her feet.

    "Suzi?"

    "I just had to convert my entire magic waveform from Green to… Whatever the hell this is. But it's done, it's working for us."

    "Yeah, but-."

    "I'll-" She winces, her skin turning from pale green to the grey-blue of the dominator's computer system, thick veins and oddly angular rhytidome appearing as her body adapts to its new alien spirituality. "-cope, just… Give me a minute."

    "Not a problem."

    Orange construct ropes extrude from my body and connect directly to the red spots on the middle of each dominator's forehead. While I could easily justify killing these people, I'm not exactly sure whether these are soldiers or regular tech support. The small red circles make it clear that they're not decision-makers, and with a member of the Green Lantern Corps watching it's probably best to limit collateral damage.

    So long as they haven't directly involved themselves.

    Their eyes flash orange as I realign their desires and… Ah, yes, though they do feel loyalty, it's more to the structures of their society than to any particular high caste dominator. Increase their desire to conform to an abstract moral code and make sure that they identify that with us

    "God… Damn." Mister King takes a step back, regarding me with a decidedly impressed air. "Has the Commander been holding out on us?"

    "I doubt it. You can release them."

    He nods, and the dominators come alert. They don't immediately look all around them as a human would, but instead remain in place, taking in how the part of the world they can perceive is different to what they thought it would be. The one closest to the computer takes in Miss Linden, but after a quick visual review opts to walk past her to take a closer look at the computer itself.

    "That should not happen. It is functioning outside of accepted parameters."

    "Necessary, I'm afraid."

    The other dominators slowly turn to face us, the one with the slightly larger red blot opening his mouth in a sign of agreement.

    "I understand. Have you bypassed the Exalted's overrides?"

    Mr. King is looking a little better now that he's not having to dominate them. "Have we?"

    Miss Linden is still looking decidedly peaky, but manages to nod. "I have an arrangement with every part of its programming. Every connection to every system. Every-."

    She doubles over, vomiting hard enough to spray gastric juices across a nearby console! I scan, but I can't find anything in the air or in her body.

    Mr. King walks closer-.

    "Ohnono. I just-. It just showed me what they've been doing with-."

    The lead dominator nod-smiles. "Yes, it is grotesque. I will be glad to take part in stopping it. What do you require?"

    "What does this place have in the way of automated defences?"

    "Automated bulkheads. That is all. All across the Dominion, we prefer dominators in control of devices where possible. Fixed defence guns are manned, patrols are frequent and carried out by living soldiers and the fleet above us is crewed by dominators."

    "Where are the teleportation scramblers?"

    "One is in here."

    One of the other dominators raises his left hand. "I will deactivate that for you."

    "There are two others: one is in the high caste research centre, and the other is in the planetary command centre. If you destroy the first then you will be able to teleport anywhere within the facility. Destroying the global one will remove all impediments."

    Zeta radiation wasn't being blocked when we came in, but if they have a way to block it then there's no obvious reason why it would be somewhere else.

    "Do they check that your scrambler is active?"

    "Yes, but they do so via the computer network. Random checks by sample teleportation are only three times a year."

    "Telepath detection systems?"

    "That is passive, and integrated into the structure of the facility. You would have to tear the place apart first."

    Mr. King grimaces for a moment. "That's going to hurt our coordination."

    One of the other dominators reaches into a wall-mounted storage bin and pulls out a handful of headsets.

    "If the mutations to the central processor have not deformed it too much, these headsets should allow you to communicate within the facility. If you control the processor, you should be able to instruct it to keep your words secure."

    "Thank you."

    Those go in subspace, and that's a fascinating example of Dominion technology that I'm going to be passing to Dox when I get home.

    "Are all the humans the Dominion has here, or are there some somewhere else?"

    The lead dominator clamps his mouth shut. A negative or nullification.

    "I do not know. The high caste wouldn't feel it necessary to inform us about that. We are only told about the humans here."

    "Why are these ones still alive?"

    "Their powers are interesting enough to warrant continuous non-terminal studies. Some… Are still killed each year." His eyes flicker with genuine distress. "You will… Stop this?"

    Mr. King nods. "That's why we're here."

    "Good. Do so swiftly. Their state distresses me. I will help in any way I can."

    I create a zeta tube construct, and Mr. King and I step towards it. Just before we pass through, he stops.

    "When this is over, you're planning to go back to your universe, aren't you?"

    "Yes, of course."

    He nods, glancing back at the dominators. According to my ring, their body language indicates sadness and guilt and they're doing a dominator group hug. "Don't take this the wrong way, but that's probably for the best."
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2022
  3. moralrelativity

    moralrelativity Recovering pendant.

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    no -> not
    stops -> stop
     
  4. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    Ah, I love it when Paul casually and accidentally breaks someone :D
     
  5. FreeGod

    FreeGod If you see a God on the road fuck it!

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    Carebear stare! Or is that only if a blue lantern did that?

    Or maybe a white lantern?
     
  6. Splinterface

    Splinterface Getting sticky.

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    Paul does seem to have that effect on people, doesn’t he?
     
  7. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    in
    not
    You know you got one of these Oranges in ur universe too right? Better such power in a good guy's hands than that lunatic Larfleeze's.
     
  8. FreeGod

    FreeGod If you see a God on the road fuck it!

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    He tends to gravitate towards big morally complex problems which he then solves with precisely applied overwhelming force. Which makes people glad that the problem is solved, but don't like Paul. Or in other words they want the ends, but they don't want the means.
    Oddly enough I think that Larfleeze might actually have a lower kill count then Paul. Paul's protests that they were all bad people just doesn't reassure as much as he might hope.



    Another case of people wanting the end, but not wanting the means.
     
  9. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    In other words, OL tends to carefully study problems then apply a liberal amount of precision percussive maintenance to it.
     
  10. AR760

    AR760 Experienced.

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    The carefully study part is debatable. I'd argue that he is very much seeming to fit the stereotypical mold of having a hammer and treating every problem like a nail the more time goes on.

    Remember, his immediate first thought when it came to the Zeus and Diana situation was force. Several mystic users have had to warn Paul off of destroying certain metaphysical constructs, entities, and energies due to the damage it could do to the world. And so on and so on.

    It fits though. A certain amount of creativity can very easily be lost when you can solve all of your problems through force. Of course that is liable to influence one's way of thinking and which paths forward more immediately come to mind.
     
  11. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    So, she's trying to hack into the plant-based computers? That must be an interesting sensation, interaction with a different kind of plant-life. Hopefully the young lady doesn't suffer any kind of mental backlash from the process. It's almost certainly disorienting.

    Hmm... Wonder what Alec Holland got up to in this universe, and whether he became the Avatar of the Green or not...

    I'm sure you have backup plans, OL. No need to force the young lady to do something she doesn't want to.

    Ah, I see she broke through the firewall... If you can call it that. :p

    Hopefully you'll be able to convert back once you're back on Earth. Might be unpleasant if you can't...

    Before anyone asks, 'rhytidome' is simply a fancy word for bark. In this case, her effective superhero costume.

    Then they might suffer a little brainstorm, eh? Something you could easily blame on anti-tampering mnemonics.

    No, he's simply not as focused a Lantern as OL is. I suspect the closest a Green Lantern could manage is solidifying someone's mental resistance. Effectively building a mental fortress.

    Well, at least they're adjusting quickly to their change of mind.

    As long as it doesn't break completely, anyway.

    Their leadership caste, I take it. Presumably kill-switch software engineered in to avoid just this sort of thing.

    So, you can find the humans? That'll save some time.

    ...Probably not an unreasonable reaction to her little adjustment.

    Boy, I bet that's quite the 180 to how he'd behave before...

    Surprisingly analog. Then again, I doubt they have any shortage of low-caste soldiers to throw into that work...

    Helpful fellow.

    And better to disable any defences they can, if only to make things easier when the time for evacuation comes.

    Ah, the good old 'scheduled drill, do not worry'. Easy to work around.

    Well, that's bad. I am impressed by their thoroughness.

    Again, very helpful. Already anticipating their new masters' needs.

    How handy. Though there's always the risk they aren't compatible with human physiology.

    A long shot, since I doubt the IT guys would know anything more than their systems.

    But it shouldn't be too hard to track down someone with the necessary clearance to know.

    Which raises the question of what powers will they be looking at, and will the people be friendly or hostile at first? I can't imagine they haven't been put through a mental wringer thus far. And having a 'rescue party' show up would be an interesting scenario for analysis...

    Boy, OL might have went overboard there. That's a lot more than a simple flip o' the switch from 'Evil' to 'Good'...

    I doubt he'll stick around too long. Especially if his team uncovers the timeline dickery involved in creating this world.

    Ha! Not an uncommon reaction to working with OL for any amount of time without prior experience...

    So, this group of abductees are about to be secured. I expect a visit to the leadership caste's facilities will be on the cards, in order to track down any other test subjects. Let's hope they're not in too bad a shape, though. I get the feeling they'll be rather hostile at first, especially if the Dominator scientists have been running some psychological experiments.
     
  12. hance1986

    hance1986 A pitiful excuse for a man.

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    It also might be a little bit that Brainwave Two realized that many of the Dominators are not the high caste bastards who signed off on raiding Earth but are just cogs in a fucked up machine. Paul broke the idea of them all as unfeeling bug eyed monsters. The little guy Dominators don't like being part of lab animal experiments, but what can they do? They don't have the big dots on their foreheads.
     
  13. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    Yea... You don't want someone who goes around mind breaking people without a shred of guilt in your universe...
     
  14. Massgamer

    Massgamer Not too sore, are you?

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    The moral ambiguity of mind whamming people for the greater good is always a very disturbing topic.

    Logically you can say brainwashing all violent psychos into model citizens is a good thing, but then you fall into the disturbing nature on how it happened and what is stopping it being used for less wholesome things.

    OL would be a very dangerous and freaky supervillain with that power.
     
  15. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    I always love seeing Paul flex what he can do in front of new people.

    I think that should say 'were only told'.

    I think that should be 'he'.

    I hope other members of the JSI suddenly realize that if Paul really wanted to, he could probably take on quite a few of them at once and win.

    Using bad powers for good reasons and the moral ambiguity for doing so has always been a part of Paul's character. Remember, Diana first assumed that he was a supervillain after hearing that his powers were fueled by greed. That's part of what makes this so entertaining to read.
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2022
  16. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Thank you, corrected.
    Good guys, bad guys, it's all Unnatural Mental Influence.
    Thank you, corrected.
    Worked for Shego.
    I mean... After mind controlling them, yes...
    Thank you, corrected.
     
  17. King of Frost

    King of Frost Wishing I was somewhere colder no doubt.

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    Tangseid version of OL is basically that, and yes it is horrifying.
     
    Vorian, ShadowPoint, Bud-E and 7 others like this.
  18. FreeGod

    FreeGod If you see a God on the road fuck it!

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    Of course it is, but I am talking about in regards to the reactions of others.

    I actually have this line in something I am writing. "Legally it isn't mind control". Of course that law got passed with a huge amount of lobbying from various advertising agencies.
     
  19. Bramble Thorn

    Bramble Thorn Verified Silhouette

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    Especially since I think this is something that stems from his enlightenment and something he could do even without a ring.

    "OL seems to be a bit unhinged. What about separating him from it for the greater good?"

    "Then you'd have an empath who can perform value hacking that can't be dispeled since it is instant instead of an ongoing effect. His Plan A options goes from orange constructs to mind control."
     
  20. Doccer

    Doccer I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    ??? Is there a chapter with a Kim Possible Paul and he rewrote Shego's desires?
     
  21. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    No. I was referring to the whole 'Miss Go' situation where she became a school teacher.

    Edit: I've just realised that Shego was more qualified than Black Canary to be team counsellor.
     
  22. rkyeun

    rkyeun Cabbitus Maximus

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    Eh, it's just the rehabilitation ideal of our existing prison system, changing people's goals and motives against their will to match your own morality. Except it's faster, and actually works.
    Even if you think the mindwhammy is effectively murder, fine then the evil guy got the death penalty and then entirely unrelated we created some new good person who has the skills and knowledge that would have died with the other guy.
     
  23. Windona

    Windona Beetle Queen of Crackshipping

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    Oh those poor Dominators. Of course, how will they react when their desires are no longer altered? That's the key question.

    I'm never over the fact she was 24 in season 1, thus there's a good chance she wasn't finished her Masters needed to be a therapist.
     
  24. Dur'id the Druid

    Dur'id the Druid Know what you're doing yet?

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    Awww. Nobody likes people with master powers. Until they are, you know, the least morally objective solution.
     
  25. rkyeun

    rkyeun Cabbitus Maximus

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    objectionable
     
  26. Someguy Somewhere

    Someguy Somewhere The Critical Fumbler

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    Well, it'd be an interesting bit of accidental good if OL's abuse of mind control powers in front of the militant JSI has the knock on effect of having them ease off being authoritarian.

    When the guy that can re-write brains at will wants to take your playbook home, that might give cause for some introspection on your methods of law enforcement.
     
  27. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    JSI: Are...are we the baddies?
     
  28. Anderon

    Anderon Getting sticky.

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    Need to check the shape of fashial hair to verify that. Can't have evil fashial hair, can we?
     
  29. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    The fun part in this?

    Under LePaul's logic, it would be perfectly all right for the League to mind control him into not being terrible.
     
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  30. Massgamer

    Massgamer Not too sore, are you?

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    Of course they aren't... 'enlightened' so unlikely to do that. I'm sure Batman has considered it.

    Reminds me of comic where heroes mind whammied Dr Light into being incompetent after he raped a friend. It didn't end well if I recall correctly.
     
    Otto von Saurion and Cuchulin like this.
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