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

6th February 2013
21:53 GMT -5

Even a young woman whose mind is consumed by something the local people call the 'anti-life' is more rational than almost everyone on my Earth.

It would be nice if that made me feel more surprised.

'Match', aka Mitchell Kent, flew away from the children's meeting at considerable speed, but he seems to have regained his equanimity now. He's floating in the air, gazing in the general direction of Washington D.C.. A subverted satellite shows me a motorcade leaving the capital and heading this way, and a number of individuals inside it have the telltale signs of mental subversion. And some have Genosian technology.

No. Apokoliptian. It would be Apokoliptian here.

I've absorbed this world's history in moments, my mental discipline allowing me to extract a reasonably reliable summary from the available databases. A twisted mirror of my own, in the sense that a deformed reflection looking at a true figure would consider them twisted. A world that makes sense. A world not without tragedy but still defined by the basic decency of most of its people.

A world where heroes are held up as icons to be emulated. Not the strongest and most rabid monsters.

"Clever of you to make contact with this number, but you don't have the right protocols to bypass my security."

It's as Match said. The voice is mine and yet quite obviously not. Less muscles around the chest, and a little more adipose tissue. Then there's the manner of expressing himself. Perfectly in line with predictions, though I don't detect any affect that I can assign to the anti-life.

"I wasn't trying to."

"Mister President?"

He sounds amused. The version of me-. Us, from Earth -14, was Vice President. A less violent Earth than my own, but it still wouldn't be surprising for their version of Wilson to have died.

"A different parallel. The League's sidekicks brought me here."

"Far be it for me to stop you. The whole situation is entirely out of control."

"You're not affected. Cybernetics?"

"No. Magic."

"A demi-plane. Removed enough not to be included in the effect area, while not so removed that you can't interact."

"If you say so."

"I'm trying to create a solution."

"Yes, but you're under the effect of the Anti-Life. Any explanation I give you is an explanation that is available to Mannheim."

"It's a sub-par solution that condemns you to eventual death in isolation. You must have a route off-world. Why didn't you take it?"

A very quiet and quite frustrated noise from him. "The Anti-Life covered the world in moments. I didn't have time."

He didn't know that it was going to happen. It's novel enough that while the Alliance of the Just's actions were suspicious he had no idea that something like this might happen as a result.

"Do-?"

"Any assets I might have and not be able to use myself are hopelessly subverted. Mannheim has billions of eyes. My current plan involves studying the Anti-Life and replacing Mannheim with myself as its focal point on Earth, but I don't rate the chance of it being a better outcome as being particularly high."

"Post-hypnotic suggestion-."

"Wouldn't be reliable in the long term unless it was reinforced daily and under the reign of the Anti-Life there wouldn't be anyone who could administer it. Mechanical methods aren't reliable."

"Connect me to a database. My cybernetic implants would be able to perform that function."

"Yes, your cybernetics."

Upload.

"I'll send you the complete schematics. You can review them yourself and have your magician add whatever protections you require. I'm trying to help you."

"Why?"

"Inverted morality. I'm what you would be if you were a good man in a world filled with evil."

"You have my sympathy."

"Not according to my vocal analysis system."

"I'm not a very sympathetic man. Unless there's anything else..?"

I idly note that the children are moving around the country using the zeta tube network, presumably recovering some sort of equipment. My armor's sensors aren't adjusted to get reliable readings on enchanted objects or Apokoliptian technology, so I can't tell exactly what they're planning.

"Why are you evil?"

"Have you travelled to parallel Earths before?"

"Yes. I know that I'm in the minority."

"Then I imagine that my explanation is the same as theirs. I was weak, once, and I refuse to ever be weak again. And I imagine you made a similar decision yourself."

"You believe that we all react against whatever hurts us, and that we're all so focused that we make our counter-attack our whole existence?"

"We're all in some sense the same man. And while I haven't studied the phenomena of parallel universe alter-egos in any detail, it would seem to fit the available data. If we're genetically identical, then the only factors that could cause the differences between us are environmental."

"Or perhaps you're just saying that because you're concerned that I might target you."

"Please. I can prioritise a little better than that."

And I suppose that it wouldn't matter, anyway. Even my enemies don't question the righteousness of my morality, just my good sense. Does it matter if I became who I am for reasons other than-?

Yes, it does, because if it's just an environmental issue then Ultrawoman's scheme is completely wrong-headed. I need to study that.

"We will speak again when this matter is resolved."

"I will look forward to it."

I disconnect that channel from me, leaving automatic systems to monitoring it. If wherever he is has a laboratory or workshop then he will be able to eject them, but he claims that he was forced to rush things. And while he was a technologist at the beginning of his career, records indicate that he became more focused on business administration later in his life. It's quite possible that his abilities in my chosen field are worse than mine.

Mannheim's motorcade is choosing to pass through Blüdhaven, bulldozer blade equipped vehicles at the front effortlessly shoving abandoned cars out of the way. Curiously, the local people are… Coming out to watch, from windows and rooftops and… Even from the pavements. There's a certain listlessness-.

They're falling in behind.

I can't… Judge how much they're still in possession of their faculties. Most Justified are still capable of reasoning, and it's their thought processes that have changed. But 'Lex' said that Mannheim had use of their eyes. And-.

Haaa.

They looked at me-. No, he looked at me. Their eyes-. He looked through their eyes.

And I don't think that he was at all concerned.

 

6th February 2013
21:59 GMT -5

"Mistress?"

I look over from the work I'm doing wiring up… Some canisters of stuff Dick got from Batman's cave that I'm pretty sure isn't FDA approved. Karon looks fine to me, but Holly's looking worried.

It's weird, really. Holly was always kinda… I don't want to say 'fragile', but… Like a broken bone that wasn't set right. Healed, but not.. right. The way she talked about Karon, it was pretty clear that them getting together was when she started… Getting better. I haven't gotten a handle on how their relationship works now.

Dick's right there, trying to work out if there's anything wrong. Nothing I can do to help with that, so I finish getting up the gas bomb and close the maintenance hatch.

I grew up in Gotham, gangsters and supervillains and all. So I don't find it funny that there were clearly holes where someone else screwed something like this into the brickwork here before… But I'm not exactly surprised.

"He's closer."

I look around… She's got some of her Justified around and they're all armed… But they're armed with stuff they took from Gotham gun stores, not the military hardware that Mannheim's guys will have. Since me, Dick and Mitchell aren't part of her… 'Patch', we don’t add anything to her ability to do an Anti-Life fight with Mannheim. Canis does, and he likes her more than…

Charity Auction Darkseid.

Which is a stupid name, but if I didn't know how dangerous the Joker is, the name would make him sound like a joke too.

Anyway, there's no way we could do whatever Karon's done to keep ourselves under the Anti-Life. I think… Mom… Might be heading that way, but it's… Not something I'd want to take a chance on, especially when we've only got a few minutes.

"Canis…" Dick looks at Canis, and his face is completely serious. Because if he's wrong about this, everyone here could die. "Are you sure what Mannheim is planning?"

"I have no special knowledge of his human self. But I know New Gods, and this is how we would manage such a conflict."

We're planning on meeting him in the main yard of Blackgate Prison, because we're assuming that he wants Karon more than anything. But he's going to have to drive through most of Gotham to get here. If he wants anything else… Like, say, taking her place in the minds of most of the people in Gotham, then there isn't anything we can really do to stop him.

I don't actually know which is better.

I mean, this place is my home, but I already like Central City and Happy Harbour better. Less crime, nicer people, fewer memories. It's not like places like WayneTech are still working. Batman's moved out the super secret or dangerous stuff, and what's left is all rigged to self destruct just in case something like this happens. So there's nothing strategically important to take here. The portals are shut down and even if he can tell they were here, there's no generator on this side. So all that's left is an old city that used to be big in manufacturing and only just started putting that part of the economy back together after the Sheeda wrecked the places the manufacturing got moved to. It's not rich, it's not advanced, and the people aren't all that great either. So if he just occupies the city and then leaves, not much of value gets lost.

But I like Karon. And we could practice de-Anti-Lifing people on her and her Justified. So… I don't want Mannheim here or anything…

I drop down into the courtyard.

"Do we know where the Finality Man is?"

Dick nods and holds up his arm computer. Real time from Washington, Finality Man standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial. They haven't wrecked it or defaced it or anything like that, but I know Paul did something to get out of America's… Soul there, and I'm… Worried about that robot hanging around.

"So it can just boom tube over here whenever it wants?"

Canis shakes his head. "No. Why do you think we do not settle our wars with New Genesis by sending over a billion Lowlies armed with nuclear bomb packs?"

"Can't say I'd thought about it."

"Highfather's metaphysique is strong. On New Genesis his very presence limits what we could send. I could take an army of Dog Soldiers there armed with mundane weapons, to be met with mundane weapons. Before that, we could send rabid insectoid beasts because they were merely violent animals. The nearest we ever managed to that approach were the Suicide Jockeys, and that took effort and they were limited."

"Effort like..?"

"Other New Gods pushing against Highfather's soul at the launch point. And their bombs could only be low yield. In places other than New Genesis we are less limited of course, but it was never a simple matter."

Makes sense they'd have some kind of defense against it.

Dick nods. "And Karon's doing that here."

Canis looks at Karon, who is twitching weirdly. "She's disrupting his hold, certainly, but she is no Highfather. He could probably brute force it if he wanted, but it would cost him."

"And he doesn't need to, 'cause where are we gunna go?" Canis nods. "What happens if Match uses heat vision on their vehicles?"

"It takes them longer to get here."

"Or their guns?"

Canis frowns. "Were you planning on making this a gunfight?" He looks around, then shrugs. "I have no objection, but most of the Lowlies in this city would die, and Finality Man would inevitably appear."

Dick sighs. "I don't think I'm getting this whole thing."

Canis… Actually stops and thinks.

"Imagine… A perfectionist, who wants to complete a… Run through some manner of computer game without… Taking a hit, losing a single unit, without missing a single great treasure. Something of that nature. And their nature means that they cannot accept anything but complete success."

"So… He has to crush everyone who resists, but he has to do it in… He has to be inefficient, even if he could just throw a ICBM at us."

"No. If Mistress were not here, he could just throw the missile."

"Even with this being Batman's town?"

"Unless Batman is now a New God, yes. In time he will have to kill Uncle Scott, or chase him from the world."

"But not you or Barda?"

"No. We have too much of the Anti-Life in us already. We do not oppose it or act as a counterpoint."

"And if he just walked up to you..?"

"I hope that my faith in Darkseid would keep me separate. But if Darkseid has given him a great deal of power, I might be overwhelmed."

"But you being here helps Karon."

He smiles. "I can't take Mannheim seriously. That affects things."

Dick shakes his head. "Okay. Do you think this is going to work?"

Canis looks around. "It may. It is a rational approach, but I have never seen something like this work before. The tension is thrilling."

"Okay." Dick looks around one last time, trying to see anything else we could do. Doesn't look like he finds anything. "Artemis and I are going to get into position. Good luck."